Naruto no Kimyōna Bōken: Shippuden
by kyugan
Summary: AU. Uzumaki Naruto, age fifteen. Known delinquent, is in for the ride of his life as he experiences his own Bizarre Adventure!
1. Chapter 1

Figured I'd come back to this one and give it a bit of tweaking here and there, iron out some mistakes and such.

As I've said before, I've seen a few crossovers where people suddenly gain Stands, 'He Who Inherits The World' being a prime example, however most of these tend to be set during the Canon series and, for the most part, follow the canon story-arc.

With this work, I went for an 'Alternate Universe' based off the one Shippuden ending where the Naruto cast were all High-Schoolers, with Naruto being the stereotypical 'Yankee' Badass Transfer Student. This world is set in the 'JoJo-verse', and is set some time after Season 4 'Diamond is Unbreakable' but before Season 5 'Auro Vento/Golden Wind) of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

For those of you unfamiliar with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Watch Antfish's Abridged series for a (hilarious) summary of Season 3, Stardust Crusaders, or better yet, look the series up online, it's well worth the read, and believe it or not was the inspiration for Shaman King and quite possibly the Persona series.

True, I've no actual basis to back this claim up, but considering Season 3 (Stardust Crusaders), which introduced the concept of Stands, was first released in 1989, and the Persona Series wasn't released until 1996, I think it's a safe assumption to make. And if not, who cares? They're both are brilliant series that have cultivated their own respective fan-bases.

As such, please do not confuse this for a Persona Crossover. I've only ever played Persona 3, and while I admit it was a good game in the SMT library, it has had little to no influence on the plot of this fic.

So without further ado, lets get this show on the road!

* * *

Naruto no Kimyōna Bōken

Shippuden

Chapter 1: Welcome to Konoha.

Konoha, a small, unremarkable town with an exceptionally well-known hospital. Many aspiring medical pioneers venture here each year in search of new, more efficient methods of saving peoples lives. It is also the home of one of the most highly valued nature reserves, a massive forest which lies to the back of the back of the city, carefully walled off to prevent any damage to the local Flora & Fauna.

Many people would question the sense in leaving such prime potential real estate unused, but the government had found little way to purchase it, since it was all owned by a highly respected group of individuals within the city itself, and they'd be damned if they were selling it. In fact, the last government lackey sent to offer them a deal returned with his briefcase around his neck and several important files shoved in a very uncomfortable place.

As mentioned, being a hothouse for medical entrepreneurs, most of the city makes good use of the influx of medical students by selling, and purchasing, necessary goods, such as pharmaceuticals, vehicles, and the like.

The city is divided into four areas, and each has their own points of interest. North Konoha, inhabited by the so-called upper class, boasts the finest schools and connections, most of the families having their hands in various parts of the city. South Konoha has the medical university, which most aspiring doctors' aim towards. West Konoha, otherwise known as the 'tourist trap' is the location of the shopping arcades and various malls which keep the youth's happy and preoccupied.

And as for East Konoha? Well, that's where our story begins.

* * *

_East Konoha..._

Nara Shikamaru sighed as he slumped against the window frame of the old abandoned warehouse, looking up at the sky lethargically.

"Man, those clouds got it lucky," he muttered, eyeing the fluffy white shapes float past, "No school, no parents, no damn responsibilities." He sighed again as the sounds of violence below picked up, cries of pain and sickening crunches echoing within the rusted walls of the structure. Taking a peek at his watch, he raised an eyebrow.

"Mendokuse…" he tapped his knuckle against the wall, before looking down at the chaos below, "Oi…we keep this up and we're gonna be late."

A shriek of pain heralded a Yakuza member falling to the ground holding his bleeding nuts, a panting blonde twirling the steel pipe having done the deed.

"Yare-yare-tebayo," said blonde muttered, wiping sweat and blood out of his eyes with his free hand, "You'd think these bastards would learn not to do this shit here." He smirked and kicked the prone yakuza in the side, earning a whimper of pain, "I catch you dealing drugs in this neighborhood again I'll bust the other one, y'hear?" He asked, earning another whimper from the man, "Glad we understand each other."

And with that, he kicked the thug in the head, sending him into the blissful waters of unconsciousness.

"You really oughta lay off the gangs y'know?" Shikamaru warned his blonde compatriot, "Keep this up and you'll have a bounty on your head." A tap on his shoulder caused him to turn to the third member of their party, a large teen who was stuffing a handful of potato chips in his mouth.

"Too late for that." a voice called out, the Nara turning his head to find his best friend, Akimichi Chouji, munching on a rice ball as he flicked through a mobile phone he'd no-doubt swiped from another thug "The guy in the corner had orders to take him out, no pictures though."

"Terrific," Shikamaru moaned, covering his face in exasperation, "Not even out of high school and already the gangs are after you." He glared over at his blonde compatriot, who was going through the wallets of the unconscious thugs, "Oi, you hearing me, Naruto?"

The tall blonde stood up, turning his sunlight yellow hair to his friends and smirked, a childish 'what me worry' expression that was the bane of many an instructor's existence.

"So we're famous?" he asked, counting his plunder gleefully, "Cool!"

Shikamaru sighed and reached into his pocket for the packet of aspirin he always carried with him, Chouji patting him sympathetically on the shoulder.

* * *

_Elsewhere..._

A bowl haired youth finished gargling out his mouth, checked his teeth one last time before bolting out of the bathroom. Pulling on a uniform shirt over his vest, he grabbed a book bag and dashed through the kitchen. "Gai-sensei! I'll see you at school!" he yelled, grabbing an energy drink from the counter on his way out.

The youth's name is Rock Lee, a senior at East Konoha Gakuen. Due to his parent's untimely deaths, he was currently living with his foster father, Maito Gai, the gym teacher at his High School and owner of a private dojo. His grades were standard and with the exception of his looks, and his habit of always wearing his green tracksuit, he didn't really stand out in class academically. However, his open personality and respectful attitude made him popular with the staff, and his position as the star of the school track and Karate teams almost guaranteed him a scholarship upon graduation.

Finishing off his drink with a sigh before tossing it into a nearby trashcan with the ease of long practice, the bowl-cut teen was about to resume his leisurely jog when he glanced down at his watch, eyes widening in alarm at just how late he was, only to stumble as the earth trembled.

"I'M LATE!" a voice yelled, Lee looking up in surprise even as civilians leapt for cover, the teen's eyes widening as a blonde blur rushed past him, almost toppling him over were it not for his quick reflexes.

"Naruto-Kun? Shikamaru-kun? Chouji-Kun" he wondered, recognizing the younger trio despite the impressive speeds they were moving at, his eyes widening as he spotted the blonde's wallet lying on the ground "Ah! Naruto-kun!" he called out, scooping the wallet up in his free hand "Hold up!"

That was the last thing people around him heard before the teen tore down the street like a bat out of hell, leaving a veritable dust cloud in his wake.

* * *

_With Naruto..._

"God dammit Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled, his knees and elbows working like pistons as he tried to set a new land-speed record for getting to school on time from the other side of town "Why the hell didn't you tell me we were so late!"

Shikamaru refused to answer, since he was focusing all his power into getting to the school gate before it shut, though he did shoot a few mental barbs at his thickheaded friend. Behind the two, the massive frame of Akimichi Chouji lumbered along, attempting to keep up with his smaller friends.

"Naruto-kun!" a voice called out, a flash of green passing the panting Nara, who blinked at the sudden arrival of Rock Lee, the track star appearing at Naruto's Elbow, keeping pace with the blonde quite easily much to Shikamaru's disbelief.

"Lee-senpai?" Naruto wondered, the blonde hellion blinking at the sight of the older teen, though he didn't slow down for a second "You late too? What happened, you spend too long warming up this morning?"

"I got a little carried away, yes." Lee admitted, not even looking winded as he matched the younger teen's ridiculous pace with ease that would have made Shikamaru roll his eyes in disgust if it weren't such a bother "But that isn't important." he continued, holding up the blonde's wallet "You dropped this when you bumped into me!"

"OH crap!" Naruto yelped, grabbing the wallet as he leapt over a fire hydrant "Thank's senpai, my lunch money's in there!" He turned the corner to face the school, only for his eyes to bulge out of their sockets, "SHIT! The gate's shutting!"

Sure enough, the heavy iron gate was rolling shut, a rather bored looking silver-haired teacher pushing it along, though if you looked close enough you'd see the sick gleam in his eyes as he espied the tardy students.

"Aw Shit! Mizuki's at the gate!" Naruto swore, the group somehow managing to move up a gear in their desperation to clear the gate, only for the man to deliberately speed up, his smirk growing all the while "Dammit, he's gonna shut us out on purpose!"

* * *

_With Mizuki..._

Mizuki grinned to himself as he espied the stragglers desperately trying to clear the gate. Being a teacher at a low level school like this had few perks, but being a complete ass with your authority was one of them. Even Naruto, the number one delinquent of the area, couldn't do anything if he was locked out, and if there was one thing the silver haired prick loved, it was lording his authority over those who had no chance of doing anything about it.

Just as he was reveling at the idea of having the so called 'Hurricane King' at his mercy, something rolled between the gates, causing the sadistic instructor to pause briefly in his surprise.

'Wha-LEE?'

Sure enough, Rock Lee, in a mad burst of speed, had somehow managed to dive through the narrowing gap in the barricade and, with the ease of long practice, perform a perfect forward roll, allowing him to land without much harm.

'So one of the little brats made it.' Mizuki muttered, his mocking grin returning as he eyed the stragglers 'That doesn't mean the others will!'

With that said, he pushed on the gate, determined to shut the little horrors out and lord it over them for the rest of the week, only to choke as the gate came to an abrupt halt, causing him to slam into the edge gut first, driving all the wind out of his lungs.

'What the hell-?' the instructor gasped, holding his gut as he collapsed onto his knees, his eyes widening as they landed on the hand-brake for the gate, which had apparently moved into position, thus preventing the gate from moving 'When did...how did that-?'

"SAFE!" a jubilant voice called out, Mizuki raising his head from the treacherous brake to see that Naruto had made it through, the the blond hooligan's fists raised in the air as he crouched on the ground like a Striker that had just scored the winning goal "We made it! No detention!"

"Mendokuse…" Shikamaru gasped, the lazy good-for-nothing, as Mizuki liked to think of him, standing doubled over nearby, his hands gripping his knees to steady them as he tried to catch his breath "That was WAY too close."

"Tell me about it..." Chouji wheezed, the porker, as Mizuki so eloquently put it, lying on the ground like a beached whale, gasping for breath as he gazed at the sky "Man…I hate running..." He complained between gasps "it always makes me hungry."

"Breathing makes you hungry!" Naruto teased, a sentiment that Mizuki agreed with all too well, the blonde turning his attention over to Lee as the older teen got to his feet at last "You okay senpai? That was a pretty boss stunt you pulled back there!"

"I'm fine, Naruto-Kun." Lee assured the teen, Mizuki glaring spitefully at the track star as he dusted off his uniform, looking none the worse for his tumble "But Naruto-kun, won't you get in trouble for wearing that coat?"

Naruto blinked, before looking down at the unbuttoned School uniform coat. It was in an old style one, designed to represent some outdated military tradition, and so swept down to the ankles, however the sleeves had been rolled up, and the blonde preferred to leave the buttons undone, even in the rain.

"Meh, I get enough crap for wearing a headband." he muttered, tapping the aforementioned piece of cloth with a smirk "And there ain't no-one gonna separate me from this!"

"Hey tough-guy." Shikamaru called out, the Nara having already gone ahead with a still recovering Chouji while the other two were chatting "Hurry up or you're bailing your own ass outta the fire."

Naruto yelped and dashed to catch up with his classmates, waving over his shoulder at Lee as he went. "See you at the dojo senpai!" he called out, before disappearing into the school doors, leaving Lee standing with Mizuki, who glared after the blonde even as he held his bruised chest.

"Do you need some assistance, Mizuki-sensei?" Lee called out, the track star kneeling next to him, looking concerned "Shall I take you to the nurses office?"

Mizuki feebly nodded a yes, allowing the track star to pull him to his feet and help him hobble to the infirmary, wincing every time one of his abused ribs popped from the movement.

So caught up was he with his own pain, that he failed to notice when a bandage unraveled itself from the brake handle, retreating back up Lee's sleeve like a serpent.

* * *

_Later..._

Umino Iruka was, by all accounts, a fairly decent man.

He lived alone in a bachelor apartment, was openly friendly and got along with just about everyone. He helped out around the apartment block, was willing to lend an ear towards some of his more unfortunate students, and even managed to put up with the random acts of violence people had come to expect in the east side.

However, if there ever was a bane to Iruka's nigh-saintly patience, it was the blonde haired youth sleeping with his feet up on the desk in the back row.

"NARUTO!" the long-suffering educator roared, rearing back and hurling a chalk duster at the teen, sending him sprawling off his chair with a yelp amidst the raucous laughter of the class "PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS!"

"Friggen' OW…" Naruto swore, spitting out chalk dust as he rubbed his forehead where the eraser had hit, glaring sleepily at Iruka with one eye shut "I thought it was against school rules for Teachers to lay a hand on their students?"

"Maybe if you actually LEARNED something you could call yourself a student." Iruka muttered, earning a snicker from the surrounding classmates, "Besides, I never touched you with my hands. Now take your seat and pay attention, this WILL be on the exam."

Naruto sighed and took his seat, ignoring the snickers from his peers as he listened half-heartedly to Iruka's lecture.

It wasn't that he had something against the man; if anything he and Iruka were the best of friends, seeing as the man went out of his way to keep an eye on the blonde since his parents passed away when he was only a year old, presumably due to the many, many gang wars that erupted from time to time on the east side whenever members of the numerous Yakuza gangs that frequented the area looked at each other funny.

Since nobody had come forward to claim Naruto, Iruka, who had lived just down the hall and was on good terms with the boys parents, had opted to care for the boy, the two of them living together quite happily until he hit his teens, after which their relationship became decidedly more rocky.

It wasn't that Naruto hated Iruka. Far from it, even before his parent's death the man had been like an older brother to him. He'd never struck him or hit him, well, no more than often, and even as a child Naruto knew he'd done something to deserve the occasional bop across the bonce.

No, the reason things had gotten rocky between the two was because the fact that raising a child was expensive, and after becoming old enough to realize just how expensive it was, Naruto refused to have Iruka, who was living on a teacher's salary, pressure himself anymore when the blonde could beat down street-punks for cash, something Iruka frowned upon heavily, as he didn't want Naruto growing up into the same kind of scum that had killed his parents.

Naruto really didn't see what the problem was. Sure, he knew he was the furthest thing from a saint, he'd sent enough people to the hospital to prove that, but all of them had been the kind of scum that would beat up old ladies for their dentures or try to get grade-schoolers to buy drugs even the most crazed addict would steer clear from, if only because they knew the assholes didn't know how to make it properly.

Sure he'd gotten hurt a few times, make that a LOT of times, but the experience had made him tougher, smarter, and more resourceful than any amount of book-earning could ever hope to accomplish. It also served the added bonus of cleaning up the streets of the east side of what few stragglers remained following the recent reforms the Police Department were enforcing.

Still, for all Iruka's nagging and Naruto's trash talk, the two cared for each other in a manner similar to father and son, though it would take a trained interrogation specialist to get Naruto to admit this out loud. He had a reputation to maintain after all.

"Na-Ru-To..." Iruka's voice called out, snapping the Blonde's attention back to the teacher, only to sweat-drop at the look on the man's face, his features twitching with irritation as a vein twitching madly over his eye, "Care to repeat what I just said?"

"Uh..." Naruto stammered, having missed every word of Iruka's explanation during his walk down memory lane, the blonde struggling to think of a way out if this mess without being yelled at only to sag with relief as the bell to sounded, announcing the arrival of lunch. "Catch ya later Sensei!" he yelled, leaping from his seat and making a mad dash for the door, almost bumping into Chouji as the larger teen somehow crossed the distance between his desk and the door even faster than the blonde in his desire to chow down.

"NARUTO!" Iruka roared, the rest of his class choosing to quietly sneak out behind him as he followed the pair out into the hallway, steam seething from his head as he glared after them in annoyance "GET BACK HERE!"

"Problems in paradise?" a voice called out, Iruka turning with a frown to spot the amused features of Mitarashi Anko, the girls' P.E instructor as she sidled up beside him, drawing admiring looks from the male, and some female, students thanks to her figure "Lemme guess, everyone's favorite blonde hell-raiser strikes again?"

"He's not that bad." Iruka sighed, shrugging his shoulders helplessly even as he massaged the bridge of his nose to suppress the now-routine headache that seemed to follow in the wake of anything Naruto did "I just wish he'd calm down a little and focus on his schoolwork instead of messing around."

"Messing around?" Anko snorted, learning against the wall with her arms crossed beneath her breasts "Is that what they call having a rap sheet a mile long for fighting with various known members of the local gangs?" She smirked at Iruka's flinch "Still, it's not like he didn't learn it from somewhere, Right,

"You really shouldn't be going through the personnel files, Anko-san." Iruka muttered, unable to help chuckling slightly as he scratched the scar across his nose, a memento from his own tussles with gangsters in his youth "They're private for a reason you know."

"Please, we've know each other since we were kids, I didn't have to read SHIT." Anko countered, smirking at her scarred colleague "And how many times I gotta tell you to drop the 'San'? It makes me sound old."

"I can't help that I was brought up with manners." Iruka countered, grunting slightly as she punched him in the arm "And it's BECAUSE I know what the gangs are like that I want Naruto to calm down." he muttered, making for the staff room "So far he's limited himself to small-fry, but those small fry work for someone, and at this rate he's going to end up making a name for himself as a trouble maker."

"Like father like son I guess." Anko mused, earning an embarrassed look from Iruka before he made his way towards the staff-room, the P.E Instructor shaking her head in amusement as she made to follow him "Still, it's a bit late for worries, after all, at this stage I doubt there's anyone who HASN'T heard of the 'Hurricane King'...'"

* * *

_East Konoha Gakuen Roof..._

"Man, Iruka-Sensei really needs to get laid." Naruto muttered, popping a hole in the bottom of a can of soda with his pen-knife, before opening the top and downing the contents, hurling the empty can off the school roof with a belch "I mean seriously, it's probably why he's so damn uptight all the time."

"You think that's uptight you should see my mom" Shikamaru muttered between bites of his sandwich "She's always on my case, never cuts me any slack no matter what I do, and if my grades drop by one point…" he shivered at the memory "Mendokuse."

"You shouldn't rag on your mom like that." Naruto chastised, a shadow flitting briefly across his features as he eyed the reclining Nara pointedly "You're lucky to have her."

Shikamaru said nothing, but turned his gaze heavenward, resuming his cloud watching from where he'd left off, ignoring the sound of Chouji put away a soba-bread in two bites, the larger teen opening a packet of melon bread before he'd finished swallowing.

"How in the hell can you eat so much of that stuff?" Naruto muttered, looking a little queasy as he watched the food disappear down his friend's throat like a black hole "I mean you're not even chewing! Don't you get sick?"

"Drop it Naruto." Shikamaru muttered, smirking to himself at the blonde's discomfort "Chouji once ate an entire shelf of sweets for a bet. You know better than anyone that when it comes to food, there's no stopping him."

'Tell me about it...' the blonde muttered, sweatdropping as he recalled the one time he'd gotten into a fight with the teen at the local Yakiniku restaurant over the last piece of meat 'Took me a week to recover from that one...' he muttered, shaking his head as Chouji downed the melon bread in one go.

"HEY!, Uzumaki!" a coarse voice called out, Naruto's brow twitching as his patented 'Asshole Detector' went off, the blonde hellion turning to scowl at the door to the roof, which had just opened to reveal one of the East Konoha Gakuen's other, less lovable, delinquents.

"Oshima." He muttered, eyeing the bleached punk as if he wasn't worth the time and effort it took to speak his name, which he certainly wasn't, even as said punk sauntered across the rood towards him "The hell do you want now?"

Oshima was known as one of those typical losers who was all into 'rebelling' provided he could beat the tripe out of whomever he wanted. The guy was as ugly as sin and lacked the I.Q. of a suicidal lemming, in that he never seemed to learn no matter how hard he was smacked down. Rumour had it he transferred to East Konoha high after some other guy at his old school put him in hospital.

"When ya gonna quit copying me and dye that piss colored hair of yours black?" Oshima demanded, bending over to look Naruto in the eyes whilst pointing at his own bleached locks, his lackey half-heartedly nodding behind him, "Y'think yer cool copying me, huh?"

"How many times I gotta tell you?" Naruto muttered, restraining himself from crushing the can, "This is my NATURAL color " He shot the teen a look of disgust, "And just who the hell are you accusing of copying? If I looked anything like you I'd hang myself." He turned back to his lunch, waving his hand dismissively as he downed another soda "Piss of drag queen, I'm in no mood for you."

Oshima's lackey turned an interesting shade of red as he tried to hold in his laughter, whilst Oshima himself turned an interesting shade of magenta. "Y-YOU"RE DEAD!" the punk yelled, reaching his hand into his jacket pocket, only for his face to crumple in confusion.

"Oi, Oshima," Naruto called out, a smirk on his face as he continued to chug down his soda "If you're looking for those brass knuckles you're so proud of, they're in your back pocket." he smirked as Oshima blinked and patted his back pocket, the thugs eyes widening as he felt the familiar weapon through the fabric. "You're next line will be: 'How'd you know about my brass knuckles you bastard'."

"How'd you know about my brass knuckles you bastard?" Oshima yelled, rounding on the blonde in anger, only for his mouth to gape open as Naruto' words registered across his brain "Wait, how'd you-?"

"I've fought enough yakuza grunts to recognize the marks brass knuckles leave on a persons hand." Naruto explained with a smirk, "And anyone with half a brain can tell from the stains on your shirt you've been using them recently, I doubt that's YOUR blood." He pointed at the punk's leather jacket, "Also, you normally carry them in your jacket, but you took it off to fight, since there isn't any blood on it, but once the fight was over you just put them in you back pocket."

Shikamaru snorted as he eyed the two out the corner of his eyes, recognizing Naruto's patented breakdown technique. The reason no-one had ever managed to beat the blonde in a one on one fight was because Naruto had mastered every single dirty trick in the book, and was a master of pulling the wool over some-ones eyes.

'Poor fuck's walking right into it.' He muttered, eyeing Oshima almost pityingly as Chouji moved out of the way in order to watch the proceedings from a better angle, offering a chip to Shikamaru, who accepted it, munching down as they watched the performance unfold 'Still, he was asking for it, dissing Naruto's hair like that.'

"Your next line," Naruto taunted, the blonde crushing his can and tossing it to the side as he got to his feet, pointing at the punk with a smirk "is: 'What's your point you little shit'."

"WHAT'S YOUR POINT YOU LITTLE SHIT?" Oshima yelled, lunging his fist towards the blonde's face with devastating force, Naruto's head snapping backwards as the fence behind him rattled from the impact. "Got you!" Oshima cackled, sweat dripping down his face, "That's what you get fer acting so damn cool!"

"Where the hell are you punching?" Naruto muttered, looking at the punk in disgust, completely unharmed, "You really think you can pull one over ME with that slow-ass brain of yours?" He smirked and tilted his head down, allowing a horrified Oshima to see what he'd been punching. "You weren't punching me," Naruto mocked, "You were punching the fence behind me!"

Oshima shrieked and pulled his hand back as jagged bits of metal jabbed into his hand, tearing through muscle and skin causing him to fall to the floor in a shivering mess.

"Keh, Bakayaro." Naruto snorted, smirking down at the now whimpering punk, "You still wanna piss around with me?"

Oshima scuttled away from the blonde, making a mad scramble for the door, assisted by his crony, who looked white with fear, and a little green from the sight of Oshima's hand. "I-I'll remember this-!" he half yelled, half whimpered, hobbling off to the infirmary with his injured hand clutched tightly in his other.

"Does he even listen to himself?" Shikamaru muttered, the Nara shaking his head in exasperation as the door slammed behind the drama-queen reject"Who the hell talks like that nowadays?"

"Probably watched too many Super Sentai and Kamen Rider shows as a kid." Chouji deduced, shaking a bag of crisps he'd recently emptied to search for survivors, before turning his attention to another packet, earning a snort from Naruto the blonde leaning against the fence with a sigh, looking up at the clouds with a bored expression.

'There isn't any challenge here anymore.' he thought to himself, 'Just the same old brawls with the same old gangs and dickheads that think they own the place.'

He sighed again and closed his eyes, letting the breeze rustle his golden locks.

'Where's the freaking adventure?'

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Hyuuga Hiashi looked over the contract again, before nodding his head and pulling out a pen from his suit pocket. "Everything seems to be in order." He deduced, signing his name onto the piece of paper before handing it to the man across from him "I certainly expect great things from you, now that you're part of Hyuuga industries."

"But of course, Hyuuga-sama." The older man offered, bowing to the Hyuuga head, a tired yet relieved smile adorning his features "Once again, thank you for your patronage. I was beginning to think I'd have to close down the business if aid didn't come soon."

"Think nothing of it." Hiashi stated crisply as he got to his feet "I shall expect good news at the next meeting." He turned his head slightly to the girl sitting in the chair beside him, "Let's go."

The girl sat up, obviously startled at being addressed, before stuttering out a brief affirmation and getting to her feet. A young man in a school uniform, standing by the door holding the door open for the pair, his long black hair hanging down to his back as he bowed slightly.

"Your children?" the old man asked, eyeing the two carefully, earning a brief nod from the Hyuuga head as the teen escorted the girl out into the hallway, holding the door open for the elder Hyuuga.

"My eldest daughter and nephew," Hiashi responded, fixing his tie even as he nodded towards the boy, who took this as his call to go on ahead "I believe it's time they see just how the family business is run."

"Keeping it within the family." The old man nodded approvingly, glancing towards his desk, where a photo depicting his own family lay framed "If only MY offspring were as dutiful as your own."

"Would that were true for ALL progeny." Hiashi responded, before bowing respectfully and going out the door. In the hallway, he nodded to the bodyguards assembled and looked to his daughter. "I am heading back to the manor." He stated, causing her to flinch, "Are you coming or do you wish to look around?"

Hyuuga Hinata nodded, earning a sigh from her father who turned to her elder cousin. "Watch over her, Neji." He ordered, his tone brooking no arguments "I expect both of you back at the mansion before curfew."

"But of course, Hiashi-sama." Neji replied with a bow, watching as the man departed with half the bodyguards before turning to his cousin "Hinata-sama, shall we go?" he asked, his tone civil, though devoid of warmth, a fact that was not missed by Hinata, who flinched as he placed a hand on her shoulder, allowing him to lead her out the door and into the sunlight. "I don't see the reasoning in wanting to stay in a place like this." Neji muttered, eyeing the streets with a form of contempt, "It doesn't even have any decent points of interest."

"B-but…" Hinata began, stuttering nervously as she tried to avoid meeting her elder cousin's eyes, clutching her schoolbag to her chest "it's a change from s-staying in the m-manor all the t-time." she stammered, only to flinch as Neji turned to look her in the eye.

"Pitiful." he muttered, mild annoyance lining his tone even as he maintained his calm facade "Can't you even look someone in the eye without flinching? You're next in line to lead the Hyuuga family, get your act together!"

Hinata flinched, averting her eyes from her cousin's unforgiving stare, the tightening of her grip on her bag the only warning Neji and the bodyguards had before the distraught girl took off, racing down the street and out of sight before anyone could think to stop her.

"Hinata-sama" Neji called out, wondering if, just maybe, he'd pushed too hard, only to swear as the bodyguards continued to stand around like idiots "What are you waiting for?" he demanded, slapping one upside the head "Don't just stand there gawping! After her!"

* * *

_East Konoha Gakuen..._

"Wanna hit the arcade on the way home?" Naruto asked, book bag held over his shoulder and hand in his coat pocket as he walked out the school gate alongside Shikamaru and Chouji, classes having finished for the day.

"Can't." Shikamaru muttered, sighing as he slouched along like he was half-asleep "My mom's expecting me back at the shop, if I'm late by so much as a second she'll start nagging again." He sighed and shook his head "Mendokuse…why do I have to do this?"

"Me too." Chouji muttered between bites of BBQ flavor crisps, patting the lazy teen on the shoulder comfortingly, knowing how bad Mrs. Nara could be when it came to Shikamaru's procrastinating "Dad's expecting me to help out at the store."

"Man, if they weren't your parents I'd say you guys were whipped!" Naruto cackled, grinning like a fox as he dodged the lazy swipe Shikamaru took at him, though he needn't have bothered, as the Nara didn't really put much effort into it "Too slow! You'll never catch-oomph!"

Shikamaru blinked, actually straightening somewhat as a blue-haired blur rammed into Naruto, sending the blonde sprawling across the sidewalk in a tangle of limbs and curses "A truck would have been more satisfying." he remarked snidely, before turning to get a better look at whatever had run Naruto over, knowing that he'd have to step in to keep the poor sucker from being beaten to a pulp, only to quirk a brow at the sight of the girl currently straddling his friend's lap.

'Whoa, that's a rare beauty there.' he muttered, taking in her long black hair and the pearl-white skin, a faint blush adorning his features as he averted his eyes from her shapely hips, evident from her skirt, and ample bosom, which was oh so apparent despite the best efforts of her School jersey, the Nara's eyes narrowing as he espied the crest adorning her collar 'Wait a minute, isn't that a North Konoha Gakuen uniform? What's an uptown girl doing here?"

* * *

_Naruto's POV..._

"Friggin' OW-!" Naruto hissed, the blonde trying to push himself up of the ground, only to find himself incapable of moving as a result of someone sitting on him, something the blonde intended to rectify all too soon the moment he could see straight "Alright, who the…hell?" he trailed off as he realised two things.

One: His assaulted was a Girl. And as much as Naruto admitted to being a punk, even reveled in it, even HE drew the line at hitting girls unless they hit first.

Two: This girl was quite possibly the cutest he'd ever seen.

Blue eyes gazed into pearl white, seconds seemingly giving way to minutes, Naruto was even willing to bet he heard that stereotypical 'first meeting' music that most anime reserved for moments like this playing in the background, only to blink as he realised it was coming from the girl's bag, reality snapping back as the two of them blushed, the full extent of the compromising situation they were currently in finally dawning in their minds.

"I...I'M SO SORRY!" the girl stammered, scrambling to her feet in a hurry, dusting herself down and bowing to the blonde, Naruto quickly following suit as she ducked down to scoop up her bag.

"Eh, no…my bad." Naruto muttered, the blonde scratching his head awkwardly, looking round desperately to make sure no one saw what happened, deciding it wasn't worth the effort to murder Choji, Shikamaru and that blasted cat Tora from down the street, only to blink as the girl pulled a cell-phone out of her bag, her eyes widening in alarm as she read the text message she'd received "Um…are you alright miss?"

"Hinata-sama!" an annoyed voice yelled out, Naruto looking up to see a long-haired teen in a North Konoha Gakuen Boy's School uniform racing towards them, his features, which the blonde noticed bore a marked resemblance to the girls, especially the eyes, lined with anger "Hold it right there!"

* * *

_Hinata's POV..._

Hinata paled at the sound of her cousin's irate voice, her earlier embarrassment replaced with fear as she cursed herself for not turning off her phone, knowing all too well that her bodyguards were more than capable of using it to keep track of her. Stammering out a quick apology to the, admittedly cute, boy she'd inadvertently run over during her escape, the Hyuuga heiress promptly hugged her bag to her chest and dashed across the street, wanting to put as much distance between her and her cousin as possibly, not out of fear for the older teen, for despite his cold words Neji had never raised a hand to her, but out of a desire to maintain this limited window of freedom she'd gained by giving him the slip.

So intent was the girl in avoiding her entourage, however, that she failed to notice the looks of alarm on her cousin's face as she raced across the street, the honking of a car's horn drawing her attention to the road, her eyes widening as she realised the lights were green, a speeding convertible racing right towards her the driver drinking from a bottle with his head back.

'I'm going to die...' she realised, her eyes closing as she braced for the inevitable impact that would end her short life 'I'm sorry...Hanabi-chan...'

Something rammed into her side, Hinata letting out a gasp as she was sent sprawling across the ground, the convertible screeching past her like a force of nature, a sickening thud followed by the sound of screeching brakes sounding behind as she lay on the ground, winded but alive.

"I'm...Alive...?" she realised, fighting down the pain in her side as she pushed herself up onto her knees, opening her eyes in time to see the driver of the convertible hop back into his car with a panicked expression, driving off despite people's attempts to stop him "en her eyes, it was to see a car careening away, people yelling at it to stop "What happened?" she wondered, looking around in confusion "How did I-?"

She trailed off as something caught her eyes, something that made her heart skip a beat and her blood run cold, both hands coming up to cover her mouth even as Neji ran up beside her, his voice distant, as if coming from the end of a tunnel.

"No…"

* * *

_Shikamaru's POV..._

"Mendokuse..." Shikamaru swore as he pulled himself to his feet, having been tossed aside by some muscled suit & sunglasses bodyguard "The hell's the fire?" he demanded, wincing as his body protested the rough treatment only to blink as he espied a crowd gathering nearby "There been an accident?" he wondered, pushing through the crowd using his elbows and shins to make a path, Chouji following in his wake "Yo Naruto," he called out, trying to spot the blonde hellion in the crowd "Where are you man?"

He finally reached the road, and the sight that lay before him made him stop in his tracks.

There was a massive bloodstain on the road, and tire tracks showing how the speeding car had simply tore off after the accident. Several suited heavies were handling crowd control, not letting the public get to close as someone got the license plate of the car and another called the authorities.

The girl from earlier was kneeling next to a prone form that was lying face up in the growing pool of blood, a look of hysterical fear on her face as she tried to make the victim respond.

"It can't be…" Shikamaru whispered, falling to his knees in shock, "No way…it can't be!"

The wind picked up, causing the victims bloodied, golden locks to rustle, the once bright blue eyes dull and empty as they gazed up at the sky.

"NARUTO!"

* * *

Okay, first chapter redone.

Just to be clear. I am still off the Naruto bandwagon. Until the story finishes, or Kishimoto waves some magic pixie dust to fix what's wrong with the series currently, I will most likely NEVER be back on it.

However, as this one is set in the JoJo-Verse, it can technically be counted as a JoJo fic, and so I will be re-editting it to include certain characters and events that have sprung up.

Again, for those unfamiliar with the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Series, look it up, I guarantee you'll like, if not love it, especially all you Persona fans out there, who I once again remind that JoJo came first.

Some things I've changed this Chapter:

1. Naruto is still living with Iruka, rather than living by himself. This may have flown in Canon Konoha, where Naruto was ostracised by just about everyone from childhood, but here, it's based in the 'Real World', and kids are not allowed to live on their own for any reason.

2. Iruka used to be a punk. In canon, Iruka admits that, as a child growing up, he was a lot like Naruto, always acting the idiot in order to get attention. In this one, Iruka was a street punk who lived in the same apartment building as the Uzumaki/Namikaze family, and pulled his act together after adopting Naruto in order to set a good example. However, his 'ball-buster' days often make a reappearance, namely whenever Naruto pisses him off.

3. Anko knowing Iruka from childhood. This one may actually be canon given some of ObiTobi's (Really?) flashbacks, though I won't say anything more on the matter.

So yeah, little editing, but things still aren't looking too good for Naruto right now. Only into the first chapter and he's looking death in the eye-sockets.

I won't bother asking of the Story will continue, because you've no doubt seen the Next button below.

However, I'm currently re-opening the naming competition for Naruto's Stand. It's appearance and powers will remain the same, but the Name is certainly going to change.

Let me know what you think would be a good name in a review!


	2. Chapter 2

Right then, as I said before, I'm taking another go at editing this one since it's more of a JoJo Fic than a Naruto one, casting aside.

As before, any and all explanations for those who don't get certain terms will be listed below.

Again, Naruto's Stand's name is no longer cast in stone, Spread the word and let your ideas for the new name flow!

* * *

Chapter 2: Death and Rebirth

_Darkness…that's what this was…darkness…__So cold…so quiet…so…painless._

'_Well this sucks.' Naruto muttered, the last, so far as he knew, Uzumaki drifting helplessly in the sea of darkness, unable to so much as blink 'I risk my life to save some cutie and I don't live long enough to get her name.'_

_The teen's voice echoed around the darkness, only to die out within seconds, making him even more depressed. _'_Okay, this sure ain't heaven,' he deduced, 'otherwise I'd be up to my ears in ramen with a plethora of Megumi-class beauties offering to feed it to me.' He snorted, 'And it sure ain't hell, otherwise I'd be chained to a rock while some fat-ass demon scarfs away at ramen only to chuck it away half done.'_

_He twitched; limbs sprawled out at his sides limply, incapable of movement. He tried moving his pinkie, only to find the task as impossible as wrestling the last chip away from Chouji._

'_Dammit!' he cursed, closing his eyes bitterly, 'Okay I'll admit I wasn't the best kid out there. I've i got into fights more times than I should've, sent people to hospital, traumatized more staff members than at salary cut, but I at least deserve ta know where the heck I am!' He eyed the darkness in annoyance, 'Yo God! Or Satan! Or whoever's in charge here! How about switching on the damn lights!'_

_Abruptly, there was an explosion of light, blinding the startled teen and causing intense pain to surge through his body, a silent scream tearing from his lips. Within an instant, the pain lessened to a dull ache, though the intensity of the light didn't change in the slightest._

'_Sonnuva-!' Naruto whimpered, eyes clamped shut against the light, 'Ya think your so damn funny don't cha?'_

_The delinquent frowned as the light seemed to dim slightly, only to flinch as what appeared to be a pair of slender arms wrapped around him. Opening his eyes a crack to see what the hell was going on, the Blonde found himself gaping in surprise at the winged figure that was enveloping him in a lovers embrace._

'_No way…' he whispered, staring at the wings in shock, only for the light to grow brighter, as the kind, gentle eyes looked into his own._

* * *

_Shikamaru's POV..._

Nara Shikamaru, age 15, was currently in the midst of having a nervous breakdown.

One of his best friends/greatest pain in his ass had just been involved in a hit & run, having acted like some sort of hero and pushed the blue-haired girl out of the way of the car. The last the lazy teen had seen of Naruto he'd been piled into a waiting ambulance and driven off to Konoha Hospital, but judging from the sheer force of the collision, and the fact someone had seen Naruto's body fly eight feet through the air before landing on his neck, things weren't looking good.

The Nara was currently sitting in the waiting are of the hospital, twiddling his thumbs in concern as he waited for the doctors to come back with the report. Next to him sat Chouji, the giant teen for once not stuffing his face, as he was too worried to stomach anything.

That, and the smell of the disinfectants were making the larger teen sick.

Across from them sat a worried Umino Iruka, who had his head in his hands, his hair in disarray as he muttered indecipherably to himself. The instructor had looked like he was about to faint at the inclusion of 'Car crash' and 'Naruto' in the same sentence, only to shove the two students into his car and bolt up to the hospital after a moment's hesitation. Now whatever adrenaline had been pumping through his system had run out, causing him to revert to a nervous wreck.

"It's inconceivable!" a voice insisted, the group looking up as several doctors came into the hall, looking absolutely baffled as they argued with one another, one of them pointing at an X-ray photo as if it had personally insulted him "It's as if the accident never happened!"

"But what about the blood loss?" another queried, checking her notes, her lips pursed as she tried to make sense of what she was reading "According to this, he lost almost two liters of it just lying on the street!"

"Then there's the lack of damage to the muscle tissue." Another cut in, "From a blow like that you'd expect at least severe tearing of the muscles or bruising, so far there's no sign of anything more than a concussion!"

"Doctors?" Iruka called out, catching their attention, "How's Naruto?"

The Doctors blinked, before looking at each other, one of them stepping forward, "Are you referring to Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked, looking the instructor up and down.

"Yes, I'm his guardian." Iruka replied, wringing his hands in concern "Is…is he going to be alright?"

Shikamaru frowned as he noticed how the doctors were acting suspiciously, muttering to themselves as they compared notes. The one in front, who was apparently the unofficial spokeswoman, nodded. "From what we can tell he'll live," she relayed, cool as ice, "But we'll need to run some tests first."

"Tests?" Iruka stammered, looking worried as he grabbed her shoulders, "What kind of tests? How badly hurt is he?"

The Doctor frowned at the man's emotional actions, "Simply procedure," she assured him, removing his hands with a firm grip, "Now if you'll excuse us."

"Hold it." Shikamaru called out, hands in his pockets as he eyed the doctors, "Just what kinda tests are you planning there?" he asked, "I HIGHLY doubt their part of the normal procedure."

The Doctor scowled over the rim of her glasses at the teen, "And just what would a brat like you know about hospital procedures?" she drawled, with an air of superiority.

"Enough to know gather from your conversation earlier that there's nothing physically wrong with my friend." Shikamaru shot back, causing the doctors as a whole to flinch. "You were going on about how there seemed to be no injuries or even signs of damage outside of blood loss." he stated, pointing at the group, "But when Iruka-sensei mentioned Naruto's name you all instantly clammed up, that leads me to believe you WERE talking about Naruto, but didn't want to give out too much info."

Iruka looked between the suddenly nervous doctors and the accusing Shikamaru, unable to comprehend what he was seeing, whilst Chouji climbed to his feet, towering behind his friend in case trouble started.

"Another thing," Shikamaru pointed out, "When Iruka sensei asked you about Naruto's welfare, you showed virtually no emotion, hardly what one would expect from someone concerned with the mental state of a concerned friend or family member." He looked over at the doctors, who were starting to feel uncomfortable with the teen's stare, which carried the weight of years he hadn't attained yet, "Which leads to the following conclusion: Not only is Naruto alive and unharmed, but you lot haven't the foggiest how he got that way, and so want to experiment on him to find out why."

The doctors flinched as Iruka looked between them and his student, all the proof the instructor needed as his visage slowly changed from one of shock to one of pure, unbridled fury. "You monsters!" he yelled, advancing on them like some wrathful thunderbolt-wielding deity, "You call yourselves doctors? How can you even THINK of taking advantage of a patient like that?"

"But…the advantages to medical science…" one began, only for his female colleague to elbow him in the teeth.

"MEDICAL SCIENCE?" Iruka roared, causing everyone within range to wince and setting off all the babies in the infirmary, "You bastards! He isn't some lab sample for you to stick under a microscope! He's a human being!"

The doctor's continued to flinch, before suddenly growing more serious and looking over the man's shoulder. Iruka hazarded a look, only to see three massive orderlies looming behind him. "Visiting hours are over." the female Doctor replied smugly "Gentlemen? Kindly see these people out."

The lead orderly nodded and grabbed Iruka by the arm, the teacher struggling all the while, another placing a hand on Chouji's shoulder. "C'mon lard-ass," he muttered, only to be sent flying down the hall, teeth trailing after him as a fist the size of a small ham rammed into his mouth.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING FAT YOU PISSANTS?" The suddenly irate teen bellowed, hair spikier and eyes pupil-less with rage, "CARE TO REPEAT THOSE WORDS?"

* * *

_As Chouji goes berserk..._

Shikamaru moaned and covered his face, stepping to the side in preparation for what was coming. "BIG mistake," he muttered, eyeing the remaining orderlies almost pityingly, "Should've just kept your mouth's shut."

Iruka watched in mute horror as Chouji tore into the orderlies, sending the chairs and trash bins flying as the scuffle carried on, the doctors having done a runner. Shikamaru tapped the man on the shoulder, indicating the hallway the staff had come from. "Let's get going," the lazy genius muttered, nodding at Chouji, "he can handle himself," he assured Iruka, "even Naruto knows better than to call Chouji fat."

"WHO'S FAT?" Chouji roared, ramming an orderly into the wall repeatedly, "I HEARD THAT WORD AGAIN! WAS IT YOU?"

Iruka sweatdropped at the sight, before nodding at Shikamaru dully "Point taken." He muttered, the two of them dashing off, leaving Chouji to finish off the orderlies. They tore down the hallway, ducking out of site when more orderlies showed up, some with stun guns, cattle prods and, in one case, full riot gear, before finally coming to the recovery rooms.

Shikamaru opened the door slightly, grinning as he espied Naruto's familiar ugly mug, before blinking in shock at the sight of the girl from before lying with her head on the unconscious blonde's stomach. 'Why's she here?' he wondered, before recalling what happened, 'Right, she went with him in the ambulance, guess they let her stay.'

Opening the door a crack he snuck in; followed closely by Iruka. The two looked from the unconscious Naruto to the equally unconscious girl, Iruka breaking into a feeble grin. "And me without my camera." the older man joked, shaking his head at how adorable they looked, though he felt immensely relieved at the steady pulse on Naruto's heart monitor.

Shikamaru merely grunted in agreement, before reaching out to shake the girl's shoulder, hoping to find out just who she was. As soon as he touched her shoulder however, a light exploded behind his eyes, and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious. "Shikamaru!" Iruka yelled, only to yelp as an orderly flew down the hall.

"Everything alright in here sensei?" Chouji wondered, the massive teen growling in annoyance as he stuck his head into the room, his uniform shirt torn in several places from his tussle with the orderlies, only to blink as he spotted the comatose form of Shikamaru and frowned "What happened?" he asked, looking around for any traps as he stepped in, closing the door behind him.

"He…all he did was touch her and he fell over!" Iruka insisted wondering if this was all some weird dream, pinching himself only adding to his discomfort as he tried to rouse Shikamaru.

Chouji looked at his sensei in confusion, before the door burst open, causing him to spin round, only for three tranquilizer darts to ram into his chest, sending him stumbling back, hitting his head against the girl's leg and rendering himself unconscious.

"E-eh?" the girl yelped, looking around in shock as she came to her senses, letting out a gasp at the two boy's on the floor, her eyes widening at the sight of Iruka being tackled by another orderly with a taser "What's going on?"

"Hyuuga-sama" the female doctor from before called out, pushing up her glasses as she stood between two armed orderlies "Please step out of the room, visiting hours are over, and your father has sent an escort to take you home." She scowled at the unconscious forms of Shikamaru and Chouji, "Get those troublemakers out of here."

The orderlies grunted in acknowledgment, one of them grabbing Shikamaru's prone form while the other kicked the comatose Chouji in the stomach. "Think yer so tough do ya?" he spat, a massive shiner covering his face, "Learn yer place ya fat piece a shit!"

"Stop it!" the girl, the HYUUGA Iruka recalled, called out, the educator opening one eye just in time to see her grab the orderly's arm, her features lined with distress at his cruelty "Don't hurt him!"

"Shut up!" the orderly yelled tossing her aside with a backhand, earning a sharp reprimand from the female doctor that was soundly ignored "This fat shit had it coming to hi-oomph!"

Whatever the orderly had been about to say ended when a foot rammed into his mouth with the force of a pile driver, sending him flying out of the room, collapsing on top of the female doctor, the imprint of the foot embedded in his face as an annoyed grumble filled the stunned silence.

"Too damn noisy..." Naruto growled, rubbing his eyes with his fists as he released a jaw-cracking yawn "Can't a guy get some sleep without pissants like you waking me up every time?"

He opened his eyes to glare at his surroundings, Iruka unable to help the shiver that raced up his spine that had NOTHING to do with his recent tasering, and EVERYTHING to do with the growing look of growing irritation in the blonde's bloodshot blue eyes as He took in the prone form of his friends, his own shocked state and the way the Hyuuga girl was holding her reddening cheek.

"My head hurts like a bitch..." the teen muttered, getting out of the bed, the remaining orderlies taking a cautious step backwards "My Stomach feels like it's running on empty...I've got aches and pains in places I'd rather not mention and now I wake up to find you self-important bastards not only beating up my friends, but even going so far as to hit a GIRL?"

He pushed his hair up with one hand, glaring at the scared orderlies with his one visible eye, the pupil having narrowed into an animalistic slit.

"BIG mistake."

Iruka sighed, lying flat on the floor as the sounds of carnage began, shaking his head ruefully as he tried not to think about the complaints he'd have to deal with from the hospital directors.

'At the very least he's okay.' he reasoned, a smile of relief adorning his twitching features, though it was soon replaced with grimace as Naruto got creative with a nearby I.V stand, 'That was SO not meant to be used like that...' he muttered, wishing he could cover his ears to block out the distressed orderly's screams.

* * *

_Later, Ichiraku ramen stand..._

Naruto sighed as he finished his fifteenth bowl of ramen, placing the bowl down with a satisfied gasp. "AHH! That was perfect!" he praised, grinning cheekily at the waitress of the stand, Ayame, who flushed, "How about another bowl Nee-chan?"

"You trying to drive me into debt?" Iruka demanded, though on the inside he was relieved to see that nothing had changed with the blonde, and especially glad that he'd gotten the kid out of the hospital before the police showed up.

Needless to say, following his 'revival', Naruto had gone on a rampage in the hospital, sending orderlies and equipment flying as he tore through them like a humanoid typhoon. It was only thanks to a well timed yell and the sound of police sirens that the instructor had managed to get the hellion out of the building, and even then he suspected it was only to save their own hides that the doctors hadn't reported them.

'Still...' the instructor muttered, fiddling with chopsticks 'To even THINK they'd act like that…' he eyed Naruto out the corner of his eye, 'Though in a way, I can relate to them…just how DID Naruto recover so fast?'

"Jesus Christ Naruto..." Shikamaru muttered, eyeing the blonde with mild disgust as he put away his twentieth bowl of Ramen "You'd think being hit by a car would put a dent in your appetite."

"Wait, what?" Ayame exclaimed, the Father-Daughter pair looking up in alarm at the teen's words "Oh my God, Naruto-kun, are you alright?" she asked, putting her hand to his head, patting him over to search for injuries "Are you sure you should be out yet?"

"Relax Nee-chan, I'm fine!" Naruto assured her, grinning foxily at the older girl as he flexed a muscle to prove his point "Nothing's gonna keep me away from my ramen!" he boasted, peering over the girl's shoulder at her father "In fact, how about another bowl?"

"Now THAT'S my favorite customer!" Teuchi laughed, ignoring the sigh from his daughter as he dished out another massive helping, placing the bowl in front of the blonde with a smirk "Here ya go, this one's on the house."

"YATTA!" Naruto cheered, little hearts adorning his eyes as he clapped his hands together in glee, earning a giggle from Ayame and a snort of amusement from everyone else "You rock old man!"

"Just for that I'm taking it back." Teuchi muttered, whisking the bowl away just as Naruto was about to dig in, the stern look that adorned his features belying the teasing glint in his eyes as he pretended to walk away with the liquid nirvana.

"AGH! NOOO!" Naruto whined, reaching desperately over the counter, "MY RAAAAMEEEEEN-CHWAN!"

Iruka merely sighed and shook his head, glad that, at the very least, Naruto's skull had apparently been thick enough to prevent any further damage from the crash.

* * *

_Hyuuga Manor, Hiashi's office..._

Hiashi looked at his daughter from behind a thick, oak desk, several important papers lying in ordered stacks before him. The head of the family had just received a detailed report on his daughters little unauthorized stunt, and was far from pleased. Behind the girl, her cousin, Neji, stood at attention, his face decidedly neutral, though the highly tangible aura of anger could be felt by Hiashi even from across the desk.

"What have you to say for yourselves?" Hiashi asked, tone calm but serious as a heart attack, "You are aware that a person almost lost their life…and that I have expended a great deal of effort to have the matter hushed up."

"It's my fault, Hiashi-sama." Neji insisted, bowing his head to his uncle in apology before Hinata could speak up "I was lax in my duties as Hinata-sama's escort. It shall not happen again."

Hiashi looked his nephew over, before nodding his head, "See that it doesn't." he instructed, nodding towards the door as an act of dismissal, watching the elder teen as he turned on his heel and marched out of the room, only turning his attention to his daughter the moment the door closed behind him "You disobeyed my order not to use THAT." He stated, causing the timid girl to flinch.

"I...I'm sorry..." Hinata stammered, wishing she could just find a rock to crawl under "I know it is forbidden...but the boy wouldn't have been hurt if I hadn't run away..." she gripped her dirtied skirt between her fingers, "and…no-one could see it anyway…"

"That is not the issue." Hiashi cut in, pausing at the girl's flinch, deciding to moderate his tone somewhat "You know better than anyone that using THAT is like setting off a silent alarm to the right people. Just because it doesn't LOOK like anyone noticed, doesn't mean they aren't biding their time."

Hinata flinched and looked away, blinking as her father sighed, standing up from his desk and facing the window. "You're excused Hinata," he stated, "hand your uniform to the servants and they'll patch it up for you."

Hiashi waited until he heard the door shut behind her, before turning back to a report he'd gathered concerning the incident. 'Uzumaki…' he wondered, eyeing the delinquents photo with an almost bemused air, 'A coincidence? Maybe…then again…'

* * *

_The next day..._

"I'M LAAAATE!" Naruto yelled, charging down the street Shikamaru and Chouji panting as they tried to keep up "Shit, why the hell'd I forget to set the alarm?" he swore "If you guy's hadn't shown up when you did…" he trailed off as he rounded a corner, leap-frogging over an old woman purifying the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding a ladle to the bells in the process.

"Late again Naruto-kun?" Lee's voice called out, the older teen pulling up alongside the blonde, a sports bag over one shoulder as he matched the pace effortlessly, much to Shikamaru's derision "This is becoming a bad habit."

"Blame Iruka-sensei." Naruto muttered, his teeth clenched "He probably figured I needed to rest up after..." he trailed off, not wanting to think about the car crash if he could help it, instead eyeing the older teen's track bag "Hey sempai, you got a track-meet today right? Good luck, not that you'll need it."

"It never pays to be overconfident, Naruto-kun, though thank you all the same." Lee offered, smiling at the younger teen before turning his attention back to the front as they neared the school gates "It would appear we're in luck. Aoba-sensei is on the gate today."

"Thank god for small mercies." Naruto muttered, breathing a sigh of relief, for while Aoba came off as the serious type with those sunglasses of his, the goatee-sporting instructor was actually one of the more lenient staff members, and an apparent riot if you got him drunk in the vicinity of a lampshade "Race you to the gate Senpai!"

"Yosh!" Lee grinned, the two of them picking up the pace for the final stretch, racing past the gate and Aoba, who merely tapped his watch and thumbed in the direction of the school building as he waved them through.

"Best get to class quickly you three." he called out to the trio, who paused in saying their farewells to Lee as the elder teen raced off to the track field "Iruka told me if you kept him waiting he'd call on you in class."

"You heard the man Shikamaru!" Naruto grinned, racing up the steps to the building, startling a few first years that were lounging around as "Better not doze off in class!"

"Hard to believe he was in a car accident just the other day." Shikamaru muttered, earning a look of shock from Aoba, "Never mind sensei, you'd just give yourself a aneurysm." He remarked, catching his breath and following Chouji into the building.

* * *

_East Konoha Staff Room..._

Mizuki scowled as he looked out the staff room window, where the view of the courtyard allowed him the perfect view to spy on whoever turned up late. He grit his teeth as he watched Naruto saunter up the steps like he owned the place, ribs twinging at the memory of the injury he'd received from the gate.

"Like a cockroach," he muttered, eyeing the delinquent with distaste, "just won't stay dead." He eyed the bane of his existence with an annoyed glare, curling his fists in anger. "I don't know how you survived that crash Uzumaki, but I'll damn well rid myself of you yet!"

* * *

_Gym Class..._

Naruto let out a yell as he slammed the ball into the basket, heralding a shrill whistle from the coach. "YOSH!" Gai yelled, making a 'T' with his hands, "Half-time! Try not to cool down to much or you'll cramp up!"

"You got it sensei!" Naruto called out, wiping himself down with a towel as he plunked himself down on the bench, grinning at the exhausted form of Shikamaru as the Nara lay prone on his back "What's up Shikamaru?" he teased, "Not winded are we?"

"Shut up..." Shikamaru moaned, giving the far-too-cheerful blonde the finger as he struggled to draw air into his lungs whilst fighting down a stitch "Not all of us are stamina freaks like you, Naruto."

"You're just lazy." Naruto shot back teasingly, nudging the downed Nara with his elbow and earning a swipe to the arm for his trouble "C'mon, man, lighten up! You know the won't like you if you laze around all the time."

"Like I care about something as troublesome as being popular with girls." Shikamaru snorted, cracking one eye open to level a bored look in his friend's direction "Besides, I have it on good authority that girl's don't like bleached idiots with the maturity of a five-year-old either."

"MY HEART!" Naruto cried out, clutching a hand over his chest dramatically, as if he'd been stabbed "You pierced it foul fiend!" he proclaimed, before keeling over onto his side, Shikamaru squawking indignantly as the blonde landed on top of him.

"Knock it off you idiot!" the Nara swore, struggling to push the larger, heavier teen off him, glaring pointedly at the blonde as Naruto backed off, snickering like a hyena even as people eyed them oddly "God dammit, teach me to worry about you again."

"You're not my type anyway." Naruto scoffed, dodging a kick from the irate Nara only to blink as he spotted Gai-sensei walking towards him, the Male Gym Coach dressed in a green track-suit almost identical to Lee's "Yo, Gai-sensei, everything alright?"

"Perfectly fine, Naruto-kun." Gai assured the blonde, grinning confidently as he gave the teen a thumbs up, Shikamaru cursing as the light shining off the man's impressive teeth blinded the Nara "Actually, I heard about the accident the other day and wanted to make sure everything was alright with you. You haven't been experiencing any problems since being discharged from the hospital have you?"

'I wouldn't so much call it discharged so much as kicked out...' Naruto muttered, chuckling to himself as he recalled the mess he'd left behind even as he grinned at Lee's guardian "Relax sensei." he assured the man, proceeding to box on the spot to prove how fit he was "All that idiot did was knock the wind out of me."

"That's Good!" Gai sighed, ruffling the blonde's hair much to Naruto's annoyance, before clapping a hand on the teen's shoulders, almost sending him face first into the ground "For a moment there I thought I'd lost one of my youthful students!" He blinked suddenly, tapping his fist into his palm "That reminds me! Would you mind coming with me for a moment, Naruto-kun? There's something I need your help with."

"No problem." Naruto assured the man, turning to look at Shikamaru only to scoff to find the Nara had resumed his prone position on the bench, his eyes closed and his head resting on his arms "Though if it's to try and get me to join the track team again, lemme come right out and say I'm still not interested."

"Oh no, it's nothing like that." Gai assured him, calling out to one of the nearby assistants to cover for him while he led the blonde out the back "Though I DO think you're wasting your talents, and Lee-kun could use a good running partner."

"Sensei, even I know that Lee-senpai holds back during our races." Naruto countered, smirking good-naturedly as he fell into step behind the man, the two of them walking to the back of the gym, which had a bird's eye view of the track field, where Lee was currently leading the pack by a wide margin "Besides, you and I both know Senpai's wasting his talents in a place like this."

"Naruto." Gai spoke up, Naruto turning to face the man only to blink at the expression on the normally robust man's face, his eyes, usually filled with good-natured mirth, deadly serious "What REALLY happened yesterday?" he demanded, his tone brooking no argument "I was there when they carted you off in the ambulance, I SAW the amount of blood you lost."

"Blood?" Naruto repeated, staring at the man in confusion, wondering what in the world he was talking about, only to blink as the man somehow pulled a two liter bottle of water out of thin air, promptly emptying it on the ground between them in a wide area.

"By the time the ambulance arrived, you'd already lost at least two litres of blood just lying there on the ground." Gai informed the teen, tossing the now-empty bottle over his shoulder into a nearby bin, Naruto's blood running cold as he gaped at the stain on the ground "It's a miracle you're even ALIVE right now, never mind standing right in front of me as if nothing happened at all." he regarded the stunned teen solemnly "Can you recall anything that might have happened after the accident? Anything at all?"

Naruto shivered, sweat dripping down his forehead as he tried to simultaneously recall what happened and instinctively block out the memory. He could dimly recall how his body had sailed through the air after slamming into the bonnet of the car, how everything had seemed to flow past him, before his head connected with the asphalt.

He remembered lying broken, unable of even moving a finger, struggling to even breathe as the feeling left his limbs. He remembered small hands, trembling with fear, reaching out to cup his cooling cheeks, and a pair of terrified white eyes gazing into his as the darkness closed in.

"I remember…a light." He stated finally, his trembling subsiding somewhat as the memory of the dream he'd had in the Hospital returned to him, a strange feeling of warmth and longing rushing through him as he recalled that warm embrace "A warm…gentle light…it brought me back."

"A warm light?" Gai repeated, his expression unreadable as he rubbed his chin with one hand, the other supporting his elbow "And other than this, you recall nothing between the crash and the hospital?" he sighed as Naruto shrugged dismissively, before smiling and patting the blonde on the shoulder "I am sorry to bring it up, but Lee and I were really worried."

"Think nothing of it Sensei." Naruto assured the man, glad to see the unnaturally serious expression finally leave his face "After all the scraps I've been getting into it'll take more than a car to take me out!"

"That reminds me!" Gai exclaimed, his expression turning comically serious as he pointed at the teen dramatically "What's this I hear about you using your martial arts training to pick fights with yakuza thugs?" he demanded, only to blink at the Naruto-shaped hole in the air, the blonde having scarpered the moment he'd started posing "Naruto-kun!" he roared, racing after the blonde "Come back here and accept your youthful-punishment like a man!"

* * *

_Elsewhere..._

'That should be more than enough...' Mizuki noted, smirking as he eyed the horde of stolen items he'd pilfered from Naruto's homeroom class. With a casual heave he chucked the whole lot into the incinerator, watching fondly as they began to roast almost instantly.

'When the items turn up missing, that blonde horror will be the most suspicious, since he wasn't a gym class.' the silver haired instructor cackled, watching the pilfered loot go up in flames 'And if they're never recovered they'll accuse him of pawning them off!'

He blinked as he noticed the pen he'd swiped from Iruka's desk laying on the floor. It was an old memento of the man's grandfather, and apparently one of a kind, with a leaf like symbol on the clip. 'Didn't know Iruka was into antiques,' he muttered, pocketing the pen and dusting off his hands, 'I'll keep it for now and pawn it off later on.'

* * *

_After Gym..._

'Mendokuse...' Shikamaru muttered, the Nara suppressing a yawn as he slowly trudged back to class, having dozed off not long after Gai and Naruto left, the rest of the class opting to leave him behind rather that waste time trying to wake him up 'Not that I'm complaining about a little extra nap-time, but the last thing I need is Iruka-sensei calling home because I skipped class."

The sound of several raised voices caught his attention, the Nara pausing mid yawn as he peered into the class, noting with interest that several of his classmates were routing through their belongings, literally turning their bags and desks upside down or accosting one another with wild accusations.

"What's with all the noise?" he asked one of the nearby girls, only to mentally kick himself as she began to whine about her missing cellphone, quickly distancing himself from the harpy before turning to face the class "Anyone with a lower decibel count?" he pleaded, rubbing a finger in his ear.

"From the looks of things someone snuck into the class during gym and went through everyone's stuff." Chouji mumbled, Shikamaru turning to see his pudgy pal munching away at a packet of crisps, looking none the worse for wear, though that might be because the only thing he kept in his desk were snacks, and not even Oshima was stupid enough to try stealing one of the Akimichi's snacks...again "They even swiped Iruka-sensei's pen."

"The one he got from his old man when he earned his Teaching Licence?" Shikamaru wondered, looking on in concern as Iruka rifled through his desk drawers furtively for the missing tool "Who'd want something like that?"

"Yare-Yare-tebayo..." Naruto muttered, the entire class pausing in their frantic searching as the blonde finally shuffled into class, looking a little flushed and a LOT annoyed "Looks like it wasn't just fashion sense Senpai got from Mega-brows...and people call ME a stamina monster..."

"Naruto?" Iruka called out, the blonde flinching at the sound of his caretakers voice, turning round to see Iruka standing behind the desk, a nervous grin spreading across his features as he scratched the back of his head, wondering just how late he really was.

"Eheheh...sorry for being late Sensei..." he offered, already trying to come up with an excuse that his caretaker would believe, only to trail off as he felt the wall of accusing stares from his fellow classmates "The Hell you all looking at? My fly open or something?"

"Now-now, calm down everyone." Iruka insisted, the instructor quickly stepping between his ward and the rest of the class, knowing all too well what was going through their minds and hoping to defuse the situation before someone did something to set off Naruto's temper "You're all being too quick to pass judgment here."

"But sensei!" a girl called out, though she had the common sense to hide behind one of the boys, the poor nerd looking torn between his displeasure at being used as a Human Shield and his joy at FINALLY having a girl touch him "He's the only one that wasn't there when Gym ended, and he was only showed up after the bell had rung!"

"What am I, chopped liver?" Shikamaru muttered, drawing the attention of the rest of the class back to him "Not that I'm admitting to anything, but I was only a few seconds earlier than Naruto here, but I don't see anyone jumping to accuse ME of theft."

"No offence Nara-san..." one of the other boys scoffed, making it all to clear he didn't care one whit of the lazy teen took offence "But the day you WILLINGLY exert the effort it'd take to swipe someone's stuff is the day pigs fly."

"Alright now, that's enough." Iruka insisted, his tone brooking no argument, having noticed how Naruto's hair had become slightly spikier, a sure sign of vexation when the blonde's hair-trigger was concerned "Everyone take your seats and pull out your notebooks." he ordered, watching as the class grudgingly obeyed before turning to Naruto with an apologetic expression "Naruto, sorry, but could you meet me in the staff room later?"

* * *

_Staff Room..._

"I didn't steal anything!" Naruto yelled, pounding the coffee table stubbornly, startling a secretary from her nap as he looked Iruka in the eyes "C'mon Iruka-sensei, I wasn't anywhere near the classroom when that stuff went missing!"

"Then where were you?" Mizuki drawled, the silver haired instructor looming over the teen, his hands in the pockets of his expensive suit pants "No one could account for you half-way through gym class, and no-one saw hide nor hair of you anywhere else, that's enough to let us know you skipped class."

"I already told you, Gai-sensei called me out during class to talk to me about what happened the other day!" Naruto spat back, glaring up at the man, knowing from the smug, self-satisfied look on his ugly mug that the stuck-up prick was enjoying this WAY too much "Just ask Gai-sensei! HE can vouch for me!"

"We've tried but it seems that Gai-sensei seems to have left the campus grounds." Iruka replied calmly, causing Naruto to sweatdrop, wondering if the man was still looking for him "We've tried contacting him but he has his phone off."

"Which means that your little alibi's up in smoke." Mizuki opined, his tone like syrup gone bad, smirking down at the blonde with an infuriatingly smug look in his eyes, like a snake that thinks he's cornered a rat "So why don't you be a good little felon and confess?"

"Now hold on there Mizuki." Iruka cut in, eyeing his colleague sternly "I'll admit that while we can't account for his whereabouts, neither do we have any conclusive evidence to support the fact it was Naruto who stole from the class."

"You're letting your position as his caretaker cloud your judgement, Iruka." Mizuki chastised, sighing in mock exasperation as he pointed at Naruto with his thumb "Out of all the students who were late coming back to class, he had the most opportunity to do so, having apparently disappeared halfway through gym class." he waved a hand in the blonde's direction "And it isn't as if he isn't the type who'd do something like this. I mean just look at him: Trench-coat, bleached hair, and those ridiculous markings on his face!" He snorted, looking at the angered blonde mockingly, "You think you're some kind of rebel? Not only that, but a little bird told me you've been hanging out around Yakuza joints recently." He scoffed, shrugging as he shook his head, "Why Iruka wastes his time on a piece of trash like you is beyond me. If it were up to me, I'd have left you in the gutter where you belong."

Now Naruto was the first to admit he had a bit of a temper. In fact, simply calling it 'a bit' didn't do it justice. Growing up without your parents was never easy on a kid, even more when you lived in East Konoha, where even toddlers learned to swear before they learnt how to walk. Before he'd made the acquaintance of Shikamaru and Chouji, the only kids Naruto's age had been the kind like Oshima, who liked nothing more than to pick on those less fortunate than themselves. Naruto had dealt with the problem as most youths in his situation tend to do: By beating the living shit out of anyone who so much as looked at him funny.

Much to Iruka's relief, the blonde had gotten better at controlling his temper as he got older, mainly thanks to the calming effect hanging with Chouji and Shikamaru seemed to have on the boy, the two being about as laid back as one could get whilst remaining upright, most of the time. However, there were still several big red 'Do Not Push' buttons that could set the blonde hellion off, and talking smack about his precious people, Iruka in particular, was one which few people ever made the mistake of pressing Twice.

And so it was that Iruka found himself leaping out of his chair scant seconds before Naruto leapt out of his, the scarred instructor moving to step between Mizuki and his charge as the boy lashed out at the man with a hay-maker that would've sent Mizuki flying backwards into a wall, only to freeze as the door to the staff room slammed open.

"ALRIGHT!" a cranky old voice snapped, the occupants of the staff room turning to blink as the janitor stomped into the room, a garbage bag held in one hand, and an irate expression lining his soot-covered features "Which one of you whipper-snappers tossed all this crap into the darn incinerator?" the old fossil demanded, dumping the contents of the garbage bag, a pile of burnt notebooks, metal and plastic, onto the table "I told y'all not to touch it till I was done cleaning the darn thing out!" he picked up a melted pencil case "And y'all know darn well that stuff like this ain't supposed to be chucked in there!"

"Indeed it shouldn't." Mizuki noted, smirking at Naruto despite the cool sweat that adorned his brow at how close he'd come to having his lights punched out by the blonde "And the accusations just keep piling up don't they? Theft, truancy, vandalism," he sneered at the teen "And correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you just about to strike a teacher?" He shook his head, "Do you really need any more proof that this brat's guilty Iruka? People have been expelled for LESS."

* * *

_Iruka's POV..._

Iruka grimaced, the scarred instructor glancing down at the pile of rubbish that had clearly, at one point, been notebooks, pencil cases, and even the odd mobile phone. As much as he'd like to deny it, as much as he held faith in Naruto's innocence, he had to admit that, with this much evidence leveled against him, things were looking pretty bad for his ward.

"I didn't do it." Naruto insisted, Iruka looking up to see the blonde looking him in the face, his blue eyes bereft of their usual stubbornness and energy, instead seeming to reach out to Iruka desperately, to try to make the man understand that there was no way he could've had any part in this "You gotta believe me Sensei, I didn't do this."

Iruka wanted to believe it. He wanted to turn to Mizuki and call the man a liar, he wanted to scoop the boy up in his arms and hug him like he used to do when he was younger, let him know everything was going to be alright, that he'd sort everything out. But Naruto wasn't a child anymore, and Iruka, while the boy's caretaker, had his responsibilities as a Teacher to consider as well.

Before he could get his thoughts in order, however, the door to the Staff Room slammed open once more, the poor Janitor crying out in alarm as he was sent sprawling across the floor as Maito Gai made his usual dramatic entrance.

"YOSSHA-! the bowl-cut sporting Coach bellowed, his beady eyes glinting triumphantly as he spotted Naruto standing before him "It seems my youthful Students were telling the truth!" he proclaimed, pointing dramatically at the blonde "You may have managed to give me the slip before, Naruto-kun, but there will be no escaping your youthful punishment this time!"

"Gai-sensei..." Iruka called out, wincing as the man's voice echoed into the distant horizon and beyond "As happy as I am to see you, would you mind toning ut down a bit? We're in the middle of a meeting right now."

"Hm? Iruka-sensei?" Gai muttered, as if only noticing the scarred teacher for the first time, Lee's caretaker blinking as he took in his surroundings, noting the exasperated and annoyed looks of his colleagues, Mizuki in particular with some confusion "What's been going on here?"

"Uzumaki's been caught stealing people's property and using the incinerator to destroy them." Mizuki spoke up, cutting off Iruka before the man could speak, smirking at Naruto and the blonde's hackles raised "We believe he did it when he skipped out half-way through gym."

"Skipped?" Gai repeated, blinking at the silver-haired teacher in confusion "What are you talking about? Naruto was with ME during the second half of gym." He countered, earning a look of shock from the staff and a scowl from Mizuki "I was worried about his health after the accident the other day so I took him aside for a chat."

"And this chat lasted until the end of gym?" Mizuki asked snidely, though on the inside he was beginning to sweat 'Dammit!' he swore, grinding his teeth in frustration as he glared at the Male Coach venomously 'Why'd this freak have to show up?'

"Oh no, we finished up about half-way before the end." Gai countered, Mizuki's grin returning full force "But after that I tried to talk to him about his fights with the gangs and he ran off." he eyed the blonde with a mixture of amusement and pride "I ended up chasing him all over the school, almost gave me the slip too!"

"After circling the building a few times I led Gai-sensei back to the the track field a few times before giving him the slip." Naruto added, grinning at how the energetic coach had continued to run in a circle, kicking up clouds of dust in the process "By that point I noticed how late I was, so I hauled ass back to the gym to get changed before making my way back to the classroom.

"So you didn't steal them." Iruka sighed, a look of relief crossing his features as he sank back into his chair, missing the look of impotent fury on Mizuki's face as he gazed up at his ward, who merely snorted in annoyance.

"Like Hell I would..." Naruto muttered, eyeing the pile of burnt trash on the table as if it had personally insulted him "Why in the hell would I wanna steal a pile of cheap crap I can buy at the bookstore? And what kinda retard BURNS a Mobile Phone?" he demanded "I'm no pickpocket, but even pre-schoolers know those things sell like hotcakes at the pawnshops downtown."

"That isn't something you should admit to during a testimony..." Iruka sighed, shaking his head in exasperation as he got to his feet "In any case, it seems we owe you an apology, Naruto." he turned to Mizuki with a smile "Isn't that right, Mizuki-sensei?"

* * *

_Mizuki's POV..._

"So it would seem." Mizuki managed to grit out through his teeth, the silver-haired instructor inclining his head towards Naruto in lieu of shaking the punk's hand, turning on his heel and marching towards the door as the rest of the faculty crowded round to offer their apologies 'DAMMIT!' he cursed, glaring at Gai's back as the Coach laughed uproariously at some comment he'd made 'If only that Bruce-lee wannabe hadn't shown up I'd have-!'

"Hold it right there!" Naruto barked, Mizuki flinching, turning in the doorway to find the blonde hellion pointing at him accusingly "Where you scurrying off t? I think you've got some explaining of your own to do, Mizuki Sensei."

"ME?" Mizuki repeated, the instructor gaping at the teen, though it slowly turned into a sneer as his shock gave away to his usual confidence "What could I possibly have to explain? Surely you're not accusing ME of stealing from my own students?"

"I never said nothing about stealing." Naruto countered, his blue eyes narrowing with suspicion even as Mizuki flinched at his little slip "Though I noticed you flinch when I called whoever burned those Cellphones a retard. Seemed to take it rather personal from what I could tell."

"This is ridiculous." Mizuki scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief to cover up his shock at how sharp the boys eyes were "I don't have time for this, Iruka, I suggest you get that boy to a counselor, he's delusional."

"Hey, Old Man." Naruto called out, addressing the Janitor, who had been otherwise ignored up until now, simply sitting back to watch the court-room drama he'd unwittingly stumbled into from the sidelines, though the blonde's eyes never left Mizuki's face "That furnace of yours gives off a lot of soot doesn't it?"

"Sure does." the old fossil confirmed, nodding his head as he wiped at his face with an equally sooty handkerchief "I got the stains to prove it . The darn thing's as old as this school, probably older, and it's a bitch to clean the closer we get to winter too." he glared at the secretary "I was TOLD we'd be getting a new one in soon, mind you that was LAST YEAR."

"A machine as old and dirty as that means just going near it can leave a trail of soot on you can't it?" Naruto asked, his features never shifting even as Mizuki fought to suppress a flinch "Must me murder on your dry-cleaning bill."

"It is at that." the janitor agreed, nodding his head solemnly, glad to FINALLY have someone on his side as he glared balefully at the rest of the staff in their nice, clean, pristine clothes "Darn thing's spits up soot and dust like there's no tomorrow."

"That can't be good for your health." Naruto opined, reaching up with his free hand to tap the side of his nose "I heard a rumor that inhaling soot from an incinerator causes a vein to rise up on your nose".

"Oh that's a lie." the janitor countered, waving a soot-stained hand dismissively "Oh you'll cough up a lung or two, for certain, but I've been cleaning the darn things for years and I've NEVER seen anything like THAT. You really shouldn't pay any mind to tall tales lad."

"You're right, I WAS lying." Naruto agreed, smirking like the cat that caught the cream as he pointed at Mizuki, who was too slow lowering his hand from checking his nose to avoid being noticed "But this LIAR just bagged himself an IDIOT."

Mizuki flinched, glaring at the cocky blonde, noting the looks of suspicion he was getting from his colleagues. "What're you all looking at?" he snapped, "You're going to trust the word of this PUNK over me?"

"Punk I may be." Naruto admitted dismissively "But even I now the difference between right and wrong." He shrugged, shaking his head, "I've put my share of idiots in hospital, and I've driven off more blowhard instructors who thought they were all that." He snickered "Heck, half the east-side gangs are scared shitless of me."

"Again, not something you should be proud of." Iruka opined, a deadpan expression on his face that earned a sweat-drop from the gathered crowd, Naruto ignoring his caretaker's statement, for the most part, as he glared at Mizuki, anger coming off him in waves, causing a few instructors to take fearful steps back.

"But there's one thing I've never done." Naruto growled, pointing at Mizuki accusingly "And that's set someone up to take the rap for something I did. And that's what you tried to do, Mizuki-Sensei!"

"Got any proof there, little boy?" Mizuki demanded, smirking at the blonde as he stood with his arms held wide, as if to prove his innocence "You can't prove I stole anything can you?"

"Didn't you stop to wonder why I brought the soot up?" Naruto pressed, a smirk of his own in place "No doubt you would have washed your hands after dumping the goods, just in case any soot DID turn up later." He pointed at the teacher, "But you forgot one important thing Mizuki-sensei, and that's your coat."

Mizuki flinched, as the looks of suspicion flicked back to him, wondering how the hell he'd gotten into this mess.

"I gotta admit, Sensei, that while you always came off as a sleaze, you were at least a well-dressed sleaze." Naruto complimented, looking the man's suit up and down with grudging approval "A man that takes so much pride in his appearance like you do probably went to great pains to make sure not a single particle of suit touched your suit, you probably took the coat off while you were in the incinerator room, and washed your hands and face before putting it back on." he smirked at the man "But you forgot the soot stains you left on your lapel, which you put there when you took it off. Not only that, but there's some soot lining your coat pocket, care to show us what's in there, sensei?"

Mizuki grimaced as the blonde's comment caused several mutters to rise up from the assembled staff, the silver-haired teacher backing up towards the door, only to choke as a slender, yet strong arm wrapped around his neck in a strangle hold.

"Going somewhere?" Anko asked, the female Coach smirking coyly at the crooked instructor as he struggled futilely in her grip "You wouldn't be planning to run out on us when things were just starting to heat up, would you?"

'You bitch!' Mizuki swore, unable to do anything more than struggle futilely in the woman's choke hold, the crooked instructor's eyes widening in alarm as she reached into his pocket and pulled out Iruka's missing pen for all to see.

"Well would you look at that!" Anko noted, whistling appreciatively as she twirled the purloined pen between her fingers like a baton "If it isn't Iruka's pen..." she eyed her captive with a coy, yet dangerous smirk "Now how do you suppose THAT got there, hmm?"

Iruka looked from the pen to Mizuki, confusion, hurt, and disappointment marring his features, before turning to Naruto with a sigh. "Naruto, you're free to go," he informed the teen, before turning to the stunned secretary with a resigned air "Call the police."

* * *

_Later..._

What happened next would be the basis of much gossip for a while to come.

News of Mizuki's dismissal and arrest for attempted framing of a student spread quickly, and by the time the police arrived a a vast crowd had gathered to jeer at the man as he was escorted off school grounds by two serious looking Officers, the disgraced teacher screaming obscenities at the crowd whilst fighting with his captors all the way down the courtyard.

In a way, it was almost karmic to see the stuck-up, conniving Educator get his comeuppance for all the posturing, preaching, belittling he'd dished out towards those unfortunate enough to catch his eye. Some of his more frequent victims were even hurling cans and garbage at the man, to the point that by the time he reached the school gates, his once immaculate appearance was completely ruined.

Naruto, wanting the best seat in the house to watch the proceedings, had opted to lean against the school gates, the blonde hellion watching with smug satisfaction as the police frog-marched an irate Mizuki to the waiting cruiser, waving mockingly in farewell when their eyes crossed.

Mizuki's eyes, which were already crazed from the treatment he was receiving, widened dangerously at the sight of the one responsible for his current predicament, the enraged crook lashing out with his elbow, catching the cop on his right in the gut, stealing his pistol and using it to club his partner across the face before he could get his stun-gun out of it's holster.

"YOU!" the deranged teacher shrieked, spinning round to point the weapon at Naruto, determined to take the little shit down with him, grinning as the blonde's eyes widened in shock as the hammer fell "I'LL TAKE YOU WITH ME!"

Naruto blinked, his eyes widening as everything seemed to slow down around him, the sounds fading away, becoming hollow, distant, whole the colour dimmed as if someone was screwing with the tone on the television, his vision tunneling towards the hole at the end of the gun barrel, somehow managing to see the little lead slug that was just waiting to fly from it's nest and bury itself in his face.

'This is it...' he realized, in that detached, understanding way that one does moments before their death 'There's no way I'm gonna dodge this.' He tried to look up at Mizuki, but his vision was fixed on the bullet as the hammer ignited the powder, sending the little metal slug speeding down the barrel of the revolver in slow motion, the air around the barrel distorting as it flew out towards him 'I wonder if being shot hurts more than being run over?' he wondered morbidly, only to stiffen as the memory of the cold, barren darkness seeped into his bones "FUCK THAT!"

Even as reality began to reassert itself, the sound of the gunshot registering in the minds of everyone around him, Naruto was already moving, the bullet, which had been aimed right at his face, skimming past his brow to embed itself in the wall he'd been leaning on as he lunged towards Mizuki at a dead run, the madman reeling back in shock at the move, only to level his purloined weapon at the charging blonde once more.

"Not this time shithead!" Naruto roared, ducking under the gun, a semi-transparent arm lashing out and smashing the weapon, and Mizuki's hand, to pieces as the Hurricane King got right in the screaming Madman's face before letting rip with a flurry of punches, barely noticing that he seemed to have twice as many fists as normal.

"Mudah-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-MUDAH!"

Mizuki went flying backwards, his face a bloody, pulped mess as he rammed into the police cruiser, bounced off, and scraped along the ground, only to come to a halt against a fire hydrant. A passing dog, which had been about to utilize said hydrant, chose to switched its target to Mizuki, relieving itself on the man's head while Naruto caught his breath, teeth clenched tightly as he glared at the former instructor in disgust.

Behind the teen hovered a large, muscular figure covered in orange and red armour with drill-like ridges on the gauntlets. On it's head was a helmet topped with spiky red hair, the mouth-guard designed to resemble a fanged mouth. The roman numerals IX adorned the shoulder joints of both arms, and whirlpool crest adorned the back of it's fists.

"I don't know what the hell's going on," Naruto muttered, raising an arm and watching as the specter apparently followed his example, the blonde smirking as the two of them clenched their fists in tandem "But I sure as hell like it!"

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

While the authorities escorted the unconscious Mizuki away, Rock Lee eyed Naruto from behind a corner, watching as the stunned crowd flocked to the blonde, some worried about the gunshot and other's praising him for finishing off Mizuki.

"So Naruto-kun has one too." he deduced, eyeing his friend and underclassman with understanding, the sound of rustling of bandages filling the air "Things are certainly getting interesting around here."

* * *

That they certainly are.

What is this mysterious spirit that has attached itself to Naruto?

What does Rock Lee know of them?

How Does Hiashi know Naruto?

Tune in next time to find out!

Note: Author's corner.

Changes made this chapter:

Admittedly not that many changes. Merely edited some of the scenes so that they'd flow better. Naruto and Mizuki's respective interrogations were lengthened and edited slightly to make them more believable and I addressed the gaping plothole that nobody thought to accuse Shikamaru of stealing.

Megumi-Class: Naruto is quoting Buccha from Air Gear, who is attracted to a female model with rather large breasts. 'Megumi-class' therefore refers to all curvy, well endowed women. Please note this doesn't reflect my tastes, I'm just using it to push the plot along.

Please Read and Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Right then, Stage Three of Naruto's Bizarre Adventure, Revisited!

I'm pretty sure it's old-hat by now just to remind everyone, this will be NaruHina. No force on earth can change that, not even Stairway To Heaven's Ability to Accelerate Time to the point the world starts over.

Again, I remind everyone that despite popular belief, Naruto did not receive Dio Brando's The World, his stand merely uses the same 'Mudah!' battlecry for reasons that will be explained later.

Things pick up a bit at this point, but don't expect any Stand-on-Stand combat any time soon.

* * *

Chapter 3: Hyuuga trouble.

A week had passed since the dismissal and subsequent arrest of Mizuki from the campus, and already things were starting to shape up around East Konoha Gakuen as the man's influence faded away several students, and faculty members, coming forward to testify against the man, revealing how he'd blackmailed them into doing his dirty work, even going so far as to 'accidentally misplace' school funds for his own uses.

Each and every confession, each name on the list of testimonies, was yet another nail in Mizuki's coffin as a teacher. The way things were looking for the sap, by the time he was out of the hospital, he'd be lucky to get a job at an obedience school even if he managed to avoid jail time.

Unsurprisingly, the one person that could care less for all this was the hero who knocked the bastard off his high horse, literally. Though after a week of repetitive crowing, the tale had begun to wear thin.

"And Mizuki was like 'DIE!' and I was like 'FUCK THAT!'" Naruto explained, demonstrating to Chouji yet again how he'd pummeled the instructor as they walked towards the school gates, classes having finished for the day "And then I just sent him flying and he was like all 'AARRGGH!' and then I-!"

"Mendokuse...give it a rest will you?" Shikamaru muttered, waving a hand dismissively, "You've told us a hundred times already, and even if you didn't, we were THERE, we SAW what happened."

"You're just jealous YOU didn't clobber the dick when you had the chance!" Naruto huffed, turning his head to the side in a childish sulk, earning sigh from the lazy genius as he shook his head.

"Whatever soothes your ego," Shikamaru muttered, rolling his eyes at the blonde's childishness, only to blink as he spotted a familiar face at the gates scant seconds before she ducked back out of sight "Hmm? Her again?"

"Her?" Naruto repeated, blinking in confusion as he glanced around, barely catching sight of a blue head of hair ducking behind a pillar, "Her who?" he asked, elbowing the Nara coyly, a shit-eating grin in place "Don't tell me you picked up a girlfriend, Shika-chan?"

"As if." Shikamaru muttered, slugging the blonde in the shoulder for all the good it would do "It's that girl from North Konoha Gakuen." he pointed out "You know? The uptown girl you risked your life for?"

Naruto blinked, looking at the girl in shock as she stuck her head round the pillar, a shiver racing up and down his spine as he recalled the frightened pale eyes looking into his own just before everything went black. "Oh yeah, her..." he muttered, sweat-dropping as the girl ducked back out of sight when she spotted him looking her way "What's she doing hanging around here?"

"I've noticed her hanging around the neighbourhood after school hours for about a week now." Shikamaru admitted, earning a look of surprise from Naruto, who most likely hadn't noticed a damn thing the entire time "Though judging by the fact she was sitting by your hospital bed when we came to get you, I think it's safe to assume she's here to see YOU. Girl must have weird tastes."

"Eat me" Naruto muttered, slugging his friend in the shoulder even as he flushed at his words, turning to look at the girl over his shoulder just in time to see her duck back out of sight, her face even redder than his own.

* * *

_Hinata's POV..._

'He saw me!' Hinata gasped, the poor girl's heart pounding like a hummingbird's as she pressed her back against the wall, trying and failing to fight down the flush that was making her light up like a tomato 'Oh no, what do I do if he comes this way? What if he doesn't remember me? What do I say?'

"Hey." Naruto's voice called out, the Hyuuga heiress squeaking in surprise as she glanced up to see the blonde standing to her left, his blue eyes looking her over with concern "You're the girl from the other day, right?" he asked, heedless of the relief that spread through her at his recognition "You feeling alright? You weren't hurt, were you?"

"N-No..." Hinata stammered, fighting down her flush as best she could as she bowed her head towards the teen, clutching her book-bag to her chest flushed and shook her head, lowering her gaze to bide her red face, "I'm fine...thanks to you..."

"Well that's a relief..." Naruto grinned, Hinata's heart soaring at the kind, open smile, only to blink as he placed a hand on her head "You SURE you're alright though? You're looking a little flushed there."

"I-I'm FINE-!" Hinata squeaked, backing away from the boy's touch, turning her head to the side to hide how her face had turned magenta "I...I'd heard you'd been released from the Hospital..." she admitted, gripping her book-bag so tightly it was a wonder it didn't burst open "I...I thought I'd come see how you were doing...to thank you..."

"That so?" Naruto wondered, blinking at the girl's bizarre, to him anyway, behaviour, before grinning confidently "In that case, rest easy, I'm fit as a fiddle!" he assured her, flexing a muscle and patting it for emphasis "Trust me, it'll take more than a car to keep me down!"

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at the Blonde's open bravado, the heiress blushing and covering her mouth, only to blink as she spied the approving look her rescuer was sending her. "You should laugh more." he complimented, leaning down to look her better in the eye "It suits you a lot better than hiding your head all the time."

"Hey lovebirds." a voice called out, the duo jumping, having quite forgotten they weren't alone, turning to find Shikamaru and Chouji standing off to the side, the Nara looking torn between boredom and amusement as he thumbed over his shoulder "As amusing as this is, Chouji and I gotta head home for the day." he muttered, turning on his heel and walking off "You two enjoy your date, just don't forget the condom or thing's get more than troublesome."

"THE HELL YOU TALKING ABOUT, SHIKA-BAKA!" Naruto roared, the blonde hurling obscenities and whatever he could find lying on the street after the pair while Hinata collapsed against a wall, her face a bright red as she hyperventilated in the shadow of the wall, unused to such...crass comments, even said in jest as was clearly the case.

'Or was it a joke?' she wondered, peering at her surroundings with a hint of trepidation, spying a few of the other students loitering around, some of them done up like stereotypical punks, pompadours and all, the few girls she saw clearly not the type you'd want to take home to meet your parents 'Oh no...I...I don't think I'd be ready for that-!'

"Sorry about that." Naruto muttered, Hinata's back straightening as the blonde returned, looking just as embarrassed as she was, if that was even physically possible, scratching the back of his head to rid himself of his flush "Don't let Shikamaru bother you, the lazy bastard doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut half the time."

"I-It's okay!" Hinata stammered, sighing in relief, and a bit of disappointment she was surprised to note, as she bowed her head towards the blonde, her face still red from her earlier embarrassment "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble..."

"Hey now, what're YOU apologizing for?" Naruto wondered, patting the shocked girl on the head, prompting her to look up as he thumbed over his shoulder, his features lined with mild annoyance "He's MY idiot friend, hell if anything I'M the one who should be apologizing."

Hinata giggled, her hear fluttering as she looked up into the blonde's smiling face, only to blink, her features turning a bright crimson once more as her stomach chose that moment to let her know she was hungry, scant seconds before Naruto's own stomach voiced it's hunger.

"Huh...time flies..." Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, even as Hinata wished she could find a rock to crawl under "Listen, I was gonna grab a bite before heading home…care to join me?"

Hinata flushed and lowered her head, nodding slightly in embarrassment, which quickly changed to surprise when Naruto grabbed her hand "C'mon!" he urged, grinning at her encouragingly "I know this great ramen stand nearby!" he trailed off at the look of embarrassed confusion in her eyes "What, you've never tried Ramen before?" he asked, looking shocked to his core as she nodded, "That's terrible! Hang on I'll change that!"

Hinata fought down a flush as Naruto dragged her down the street by her hand, feeling a warm little flutter in her heart as she stared at his back.

* * *

_Elsewhere..._

Hyuuga Neji glared at the guards as he listened to their report, the beginnings of headache starting to grow within his brow.

Apparently his cousin had taken it upon herself to not only ditch her bodyguards and go running off to the east side, AGAIN. She'd even gone so far as to switch off her cellphone so they couldn't track her like before.

If it weren't for the HELL this was doing to his composure, Neji would actually admit he was a little impressed with the girl's daring. Normally she wouldn't DREAM of going against her father's orders or his own instructions, the fact she'd been doing so for over a week meant that the girl was FINALLY starting to develop a backbone.

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't Hinata herself that incurred Neji's ire. If anything he considered his cousin to be quite charming, when she wasn't hiding inside he shell due to her numerous insecurities. It was simply said insecurities that drove the elder Hyuuga up the wall, as more often than not HE was the one who had to deal with them, what with Hiashi-sama's busy schedule and his wife's recent death.

Still, as much as he applauded Hinata's taking the first steps towards breaking out of her shell, the fact remained that it was his job to ensure her protection, and after the complete balls-up that had happened the last time she'd given him the slip, Neji wasn't about to leave anything to chance.

"According to our contacts, she was last seen on a bus heading to the east-side." he instructed, holding up a photo that showed the number of the bus in question for all to see "Start from the bus depot and work your way out." He pulled out a second photo, this one depicting a picture of Naruto beating the shit out of a group of punks that he'd found on Hiashi-sama's desk, "She probably went to see this guy, for whatever reason, so try to gather as much information on him as possible."

"Problems in paradise?" a voice called out, Neji frowning as he turned to face the slender figure leaning against the wall, dressed in the same Male North Konoha Gakuen uniform as the elder Hyuuga, the shadows concealing the figure's face, save for the brown eyes that were regarding him with amusement "You really need to lighten up, Neji, all this worrying will make you bald."

"Forgive me if I find it hard to relax when my cousin is in the company of the local street punk." Neji muttered, regarding the shadowed figure with a stern frown "It's my job to keep her safe, and I can't do that if she keeps running of to check on some bleached Yankee."

"A bleached Yankee she brought back from the dead no less." the figure mused, smiling coyly at Neji's glare, which was sharp enough to cut through steel "Aw, what's the matter Neji? You feeling a little jealous now that Hinata-chan's looking at other boys? I never took you for the possessive type."

"Don't get any ideas." Neji muttered, his eyes narrowing at the suggestive comment "Hinata-sama merely needs to learn the importance of her position. As the heir to the Hyuuga family, she can't go running of whenever she feels like it."

"You're worried about her." the figure teased, smirking coyly as Neji twitched at the accusation "It's not that embarassing to admit, you two have been playmates since you were kids. It's only natural you want to look out for her.

"You're delusional." Neji muttered, his expression unreadable as he turned his back on the figure "The only reason I'm doing this is because Hiashi-sama ordered it. If I hadn't been charged with her protection, I'd have nothing to do with her at all."

And with that he marched off, the guards following in his wake, the figure watching them go with a solemn expression, before sighing disappointedly.

"Neji…when are you going to get over the past?"

* * *

_Ichiraku Ramen..._

"BLISS!" Naruto sighed, setting the now empty bowl down with a flourish, sighing in satisfaction as he let the liquid euphoria settle into his bones "Remind me to say a prayer for the guy who invented ramen next time I go to the shrine."

"You mean like you do EVERY Year?" Ayame teased, earning a giggle from Hinata as the girl finished her own bowl, modestly surprised at how good the simple noodle broth tasted.

As the heir to the Hyuuga estate, she was used to all sorts of fancy dining and cuisine, cooked by the finest chefs from the freshest stock, but here she was, dining out at a simple ramen stand with a boy she'd only met last week, and loving every minute of it.

Teuchi, the owner of the bar, had complimented her on her looks and warned Naruto to keep his hands to himself, while Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, had teased the two of them shamelessly, something the servants at home would never dare do for fear of losing their jobs.

It was a more relaxed atmosphere than what awaited her at home. There, she felt like an actor in some demanding, well-scripted play, where everything was carried out according to the letter for fear of upsetting the critics. Here, for the first time, she truly felt as if she were her own person, rather than a doll that had been dressed up. There were no high expectations, no demands or rules to follow, no image to uphold, she was just a normal girl having Ramen with her...

'Friend? Acquaintance?' she pondered, peeking at Naruto out the corner of her eye as the blonde chatted away with the Ichiraku family without a care in the world, which by all accounts he probably didn't have 'Just what is Naruto-kun to me...and what do I mean to HIM?'

"Hinata?" Naruto called out, having learned her name when he'd introduced her to the Ichirakus, the heiress snapping out of her thoughts only to blink as the blonde hellion wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, "You had some broth on your face there."

Hinata flushed scarlet and looked away in embarrassment, causing Naruto to blink and Ayame to leer at them, practically brimming with a desire to tease the poor girl.

"So you say you bumped into each other last week?" Teuchi mused, no doubt reading Hinata's embarrassment in her posture and hoping to divert attention away from the girl before she suffered a full-on breakdown "Where was it?"

Hinata flinched, gripping her skirt tightly at the memory of how they'd met, only to blink as Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder "We bumped into each other outside school." he admitted, grinning sheepishly as he scratched his cheek "Actually, you could say she kinda ran me over."

"I'm sorry..." Hinata stammered, flushing scarlet as Teuchi laughed and Ayame giggled, grateful for the blonde covering up what REALLY happened, Naruto waving her thanks aside with his usual cheerful grin.

"Relax, it was just as much my fault for not watching where I was going." he assured her, "Besides, if we hadn't bumped into each other, we wouldn't be sitting here right now, would we?"

"And what a shame that'd be." Ayame giggled, Hinata flushing at the look the smile the older girl sent her way while Teuchi teased Naruto about taking 'proper precautions' unless he wanted to be banned for life, the blonde's embarrassed squawks earning a giggle from the two girls.

* * *

_Later..._

Naruto grinned as he walked down the street of the shopping district, showing Hinata where everyone hung out and window-shopping as they went. The girl had never been to the shopping arcade, seeing as everything she needed had been provided by her father, and so was enjoying the chance to look around without being dragged off at the slightest hint of trouble.

Naruto was currently messing with a gashapon machine, the blonde apparently having a passion for collecting 'all sorts of cool stuff no matter what that lazy ass Shikamaru says', Hinata looking up as he let out a jubilant yell as the latest one turned up good results.

"YATTA!" the blonde cried, tears of joy falling from his eyes as he held up a miniature muscular figure of what looked like Mad Max in a kung-fu pose "I finally got the Kenshirou figure for my collection!" He cheered, dancing around, earning a laugh from Hinata as she watched him disturb the other shoppers.

'Naruto-kun is so energetic,' the heiress thought wonderingly, 'he lives life to the fullest, no matter what.' She flinched as she recalled how clammy his face had felt as she held it after the crash, 'And I…almost took that from him.' She whispered, holding a hand to her chest.

"Hey baby, you alone?" a nasal voice called out, prompting her to turn round to face three men, dressed up in cheap, yet expensive-looking suits. "Wanna go for some Karaoke?" Hinata flinched and took a step back, only for another guy to put a hand on her arm, "Aw come-on, no need to be shy." He said, leering at her, "We won't hurt ya."

Hinata tried to struggle, only for the man to pull her closer, a leer on his face as he reached a hand for her other wrist. A fist came out of nowhere and nailed the punk in the teeth, sending him soaring into a lamppost, falling limply to the floor. "WHO THE FU-!" the second yelled, only to receive a kick to the teeth, silencing him and sending him sailing over a bench to land in a fountain. The third punk, a short, weasel-like man with an obvious skin condition, turned round, dagger in hand to face the assailant, only to drop the weapon and stutter in fear.

"N-Naruto-sama!" he stuttered, nervously rubbing his hands together as he peered up at the irate Blonde towering over him, his rat-like eyes twitching as they sought out an escape route, "H-how ya doin'?"

"Fine till I smelled you skulking around Ichigoya," Naruto muttered, eyeing the older man like he was something he'd stepped in, "I thought I told you bastards never to set foot here again."

The man began wringing his hands, looking up at the blonde with a desperate smile, "Of course, I apologize!" he stammered backing away, "I'll just be going now…"

Naruto sighed as he watched the rat run, leaving his cronies lying about in a daze. "Sorry about that, I forgot rats like that always sneak around looking for people they think are vulnerable." he glared after Ichigoya "Next time something like that happens, scream for help an kick 'em in the balls." He grinned "Not that Ichigoya's got any to speak of."

Hinata who flushed, though whether it was because he'd rescued her, again, or due to his cavalier attitude was beyond her, the two of them looking up at the sound of approaching voices, Naruto sweat-dropping as he espied the mall security appearing at the edges of the crowd.

"We'd better get outta here," he muttered, grabbing Hinata's wrist gently and moving her through the crowd, "Trust me, the last thing you want is to get something like this put down on your permanent record."

Hinata nodded, knowing all to well what her father would do if he received a phone call from the police, the heiress allowing Naruto to lead her through the crowds, who parted helpfully to let them pass, making their way to one of the numerous fire exits that lined the walls, though it was clear from the state of disrepair and graffiti that someone had disabled the alarm some time ago.

"Rule number one for surviving on the East Side: Always have an escape route." Naruto instructed her, grinning as he held the door open for her "And if all else fails, never look back to see if they're catching up."

Hinata nodded, stepping through the door, Naruto following suit, leading them through the parking lot and up a small hill round the back, stopping at the base of a large tree, the Hyuuga heiress gaping in amazement as she took in the view, which encompassed the entire town and the reserve, the sun a dull orange as it set below the horizon.

"I always come here to think." Naruto admitted, taking a seat near the base of the trunk, patting the ancient wood affectionately, "Dunno why, but this tree's always been good for calming me down."

He patted the earth next to him, gesturing for the shy girl to join him, Hinata accepting the invitation with a blush as their arms touched, turning her gaze back to the sunset, a feeling of calm washing over her, seemingly emanating from the wood of the ancient tree behind her. Curious, she placed her head against the bark, closing her eyes as she felt the thrumming of life within the ancient oak. "You asleep?" Naruto asked, causing her to jump, embarrassed at being caught out "Maybe I should take you home?"

Hinata shook her head, looking dismally down at the floor, "I…I don't want to…go back there yet…" she stated, gripping her skirt in distress, earning a look of confusion from Naruto, only for the blonde to sigh, bopping her on the head gently.

"I got it..." he sighed, smirking softly as she blinked up at him in confusion "I won't bring it up again." He assured, beaming at her blush before reaching into his pocket with a grin "That reminds me..." he muttered, pulling out a key chain that he won from the Gashapon and holding it out for her "Here, it's yours."

Hinata blinked as she looked at the weird rabbit-like creatures, one black the other white, with blue and red forehead gems dangling from the key chain, "Um...forgive me, but what are these?" she asked, finding them adorable beyond words.

"They're called Mokona, I think," Naruto replied, leaning back against the trunk "They're part of some series by Clamp, so I wouldn't know much on them." He grinned at the girl, causing her to flush, "They kinda reminded me of you."

Hinata felt her heart speed up at the thought, holding the adorable key chain close to her chest in joy, "T-Thank you..." she whispered, bowing her head in gratitude, only to blink as he gently bopped her on the head again.

"No need to lower your head," he stated, mock frowning, ruffling her hair, "just be yourself okay?"

Hinata giggled lightly as he messed up her hair, before looking up at the teen, startled at how close their faces were. Naruto's own eyes widened as her realized their proximity, a faint blush rising to their cheeks.

"There you are." A familiar, cultured voice called out, snapping the two out of their reverie as Hinata saw, to her disappointment and alarm, the calm, handsome features of her cousin standing with a small division of bodyguards.

* * *

_Konoha Hill..._

"So this is where you ran off to," Neji muttered dully, "I thought you had a little more sense than to ditch your guards to go gallivanting with some Yankee dropout."

Naruto bristled at the older teen's tone, feeling his knuckles itch as his patented 'Asshole Detector' started blaring. Hinata merely lowered her head and stood up, dusting herself off, Naruto getting to his feet beside her.

"Come on now." Neji ordered, holding out a hand, his tone brooking no argument or discussion "It's time for us to go home, your father is waiting and I've wasted enough time tracking you down as it is."

Hinata flinched, moving to take a step forward, knowing better than to argue with her cousin in these circumstances, only to blink as Naruto's hand landed on her shoulder, the blonde pushing the girl behind him protectively. "And just who the hell are you suppose to be." he growled, not liking the way the older teen spoke at all, his hair spiking slightly as the older Hyuuga ignored him in favor of locking gazes with Hinata behind him "I'm talking to you ass-wipe!"

"Manners dictate that one must first introduce oneself before asking another's name." the elder Hyuuga pointed out, his expression dismissive as he regarded the younger teen like he wasn't worth the effort "However, since it is apparent you have no idea who you're dealing with, my name is Hyuuga Neji of the Hyuuga family. Hinata-sama's elder cousin and the one responsible for her safety. As such, I must ask that you kindly step aside, it is already past Hinata-sama's curfew, and she's already in enough trouble as it is for sneaking out without her escort."

"That's not what I meant when I asked who you were, asshole!" Naruto spat, glaring at the elder teen, his eyes like flints "Where the hell do you get off talking to her like that? What'd she ever do to you?"

Neji scowled, a shadow seeming to cross the elder Hyuuga's features for a split second, only to vanish, replaced with his usual composed indifference, though Naruto swore there was a hint of anger in those pale eyes "I'll warn you one more time." he intoned, several bodyguards lining up behind him menacingly "Step aside or be moved. Your choice."

"Bring it on!" Naruto scoffed, cracking his knuckles as he eyed the guards with an eager grin "I can handle anything your rent-a-thugs can throw at m-eh?"

He trailed off, blinking in confusion as Hinata placed a small hand on his shoulder, the blonde looking back to see the younger Hyuuga shaking her head, before stepping out from behind him.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." she offered, bowing demurely to the confused blonde, a sad smile adorning her features "But Neji-Niisan is right, it's time I should be going home." she bowed her head once more "Thank you for today...it was fun."

"Hinata?" Naruto murmured, eyeing the girl with confusion as she turned on her heel and walked away, his eyes locking onto her small, smaller than HIM anyway, frame, which seemed to tense up the closer she got to her cousin.

"I'm glad to see you haven't taken COMPLETE leave of your senses." the elder Hyuuga muttered approvingly, ignoring Naruto as he turned on his heel "As the heir to the Hyuuga family, it would be best if you abstained from associating with such…people."

Hinata raised her head, looking desperate, "B-but, Naruto-kun is-!"

"Different?" Neji interrupted, scoffing, "Don't be delusional, now come on it's getting late." He gripped her wrist tightly causing her to wince, "Quit dawdling! Do you know how much manpower I had to-!"

Whatever Neji was going to say was cut off as he had to dodge a rock hurled at his head. It sailed down the hill and crashed through the rear window of the waiting limo, startling the guards there.

"Oi, you ignoring me again, pissant?" Naruto's annoyed voice called out, causing the Hyuuga to turn to face him. The teen was standing with one hand in his coat pocket as he pointed at him with the other, "Cause that just plain pisses me off!"

Neji scowled at the teen as he nodded to the men around him, "You'll regret that." He promised, as the last of the glass fell from the car.

Naruto merely smirked and moved into a stance, eyeing the thugs with an air of confidence. "The checks in the mail." he shot back, eyeing the bodyguards as they encircled him warily. 'They're all packing heat, but something tells me they won't shoot unless shot at first,' he moved a little to the right, 'They're all carrying stun-rods though, haven't fought those in a while, better watch my back.'

He grinned at the thugs and gestured with his fingers for them to approach. The first two did, charging for his sides, hoping to catch him in between them. Naruto responded by charging for the closer one, kicking at the dirt and blinding the bastard with soil and grass, before punching him in the stomach, hard. He grabbed the guard's tie as the man collapsed and used it to gag him as he grabbed his shirt, tossing the goon into his partner, who had been trying to take the rear.

The pounding of footprints alerted him to the arrival of thug number three, who tried to club him over the head with his stun-rod, a combination of a taser and a collapsible nightstick, only for the blonde to grab the arm, break it in two with a twist of his own and hurl the screaming thug face first into the tree.

Naruto turned to face the remaining thugs, who were eyeing him cautiously, like the last surviving gladiators against a tiger. There would be no reckless lunges now; they'd seen he wasn't an ordinary kid. "What's the matter?" he mocked, "Too scared to take me on?" He began to jog on the spot, keeping the blood flowing as he eyed them warily. "Sheesh, some bodyguards, guess you get what you pay for."

They approached him stealthily, with the air of professionals, stun-rods at the ready as they moved in closer. Abruptly one charged him, coming in low to avoid any grapples. Naruto responded by sliding at the man's feet, causing him to stumble back, only to receive a kick to the chin that made him spit teeth, followed by a leg sweep that took the legs out from under him.

Rolling to the side to avoid the last thug, Naruto got to his feet and lunging forwards, getting under the man's guard and delivering a punch to the elbow, causing the thug to drop his weapon out of reflex. He then spun on his heel and delivered a heel kick to the man's jaw, sending him spiraling away to land on his face, seven feet away.

* * *

As the last guard falls...

"And then there was one," the blonde muttered, eyeing the longhaired Hyuuga confidently, "Care to try your luck, pal?"

Neji eyed the guards with an air of intrigue, clearly impressed with how easily the blonde had laid them flat, before turning to regard the younger teen with a glimmer of respect "I underestimated you…Uzumaki Naruto."

"You've heard of me?" Naruto noted, quirking a brow at the elder Hyuuga, his eyes watching him like a hawk as he stepped closer "Didn't know I'd gotten so famous uptown."

"I know your name from the hospital records." Neji corrected, striding towards the teen "Your reputation, however, I know only via word of mouth. The Yakuza in this area all live in fear of a blonde hellion who tears into their ranks with the strength of a humanoid typhoon." he got right up into the blonde's face "They say whoever crosses his path is left lying as if caught in the wake of a hurricane. So great is his effect on the gangs, that people refer to him as the 'Hurricane-King'."

The two males eyed each other for a moment, the moans of the guards ignored as they locked gazes; sky blue and ivory white refusing to give an inch.

"I have to admit, I was wondering just how the man would live up to the legend." Neji continued, his eyes narrowing sharply "However, while I'll admit you're far from the brainless idiot I took you for, what little I've seen leaves much to be desired." He reached up and undid the top button of his uniform "That being said, I can't turn down such a blatant challenge. Especially one from a thug like you."

Naruto scoffed, eyeing the older teen angrily, "So I'm a thug am I?" he asked, cracking his neck joints, "Not gonna deny that, I sure as hell fit the bill." He grinned at the older teen, "So what?"

"You need to learn your place," Neji replied, hands at his side as he looked his opponent in the eye, "and I'm going to show it to you."

Naruto snorted, a vein pounding on his forehead as he cracked his neck joints, "Say that…" he charged forwards, "After you win!"

Neji dodged to the side, seeming to flow like water as he dodged every one of Naruto's strikes, actually pushing them out of the way with the flat of his hands.

"Quick ducking and face me!" Naruto yelled, going for a leg sweep only for the Hyuuga to leap gracefully overhead and land behind him. 'Damn he's good,' the blonde thought grudgingly, 'haven't worked this hard in a fight since I first met Lee-sempai.'

He grimaced at how easily the older teen had trounced his ass, especially considering the big gutsy speech he'd given about how he'd take the dojo sign in less than a minute. Ever since then he'd been going back to the dojo for a rematch, only to end up as a permanent member after it turned out he was enjoying the fights he'd come to regard as spars.

'I've never managed to lay a hand on sempai.' the blonde muttered, eyeing the Hyuuga, who was standing as calm as a could be while he was beginning to wear down, evident from his heavy breathing, 'This guy's not much faster though…but he hasn't struck at me once.'

He leapt forwards, arms at the ready, feinted to the left, only to strike with the right. Neji dodged to the side, grabbed his arm and struck his finger into the side. Pain screamed it's way up Naruto's arm to his brain, causing him to yell and leap back, holding his good hand to his right shoulder, which had gone suddenly numb. "What the…" he gasped, eyeing the Hyuuga warily as he grit his teeth in pain, "What the hell'd you do?"

"I merely pressed a pressure point on your arm, rendering it completely numb," Neji stated calmly, hair blowing as the breeze picked up, "I'd recommend giving up, unless you like the idea of a return trip to the hospital."

Naruto spat; annoyed at the fact he had yet to land a single punch on the bastard, and glared at his arm, blinking as he noticed the feeling returning to his fingers. 'Bastard must have screwed up somehow,' he deduced, eyeing the Hyuuga cautiously, 'I'll pretend it's still limp, then catch him by surprise.'

He charged forwards again, kicking up a lump of dirt to distract the Hyuuga as he charged in low. Neji, anticipating the move, dodged to the side and went to numb the other arm, when he was forced to dodge a sluggish punch from the other.

"Impressive," the Hyuuga conceded, "your arm should be completely paralyzed, but slow sluggish movements won't touch me-!"

The Hyuuga was forced to dodge to the side as a transparent arm almost mashed his head into the tree trunk, sending pulped wood everywhere. He stared at the blonde in shock, before narrowing his eyes dangerously. "I see," he muttered, "So you DID receive one after Hinata-sama healed you."

"The hell you talking about?" Naruto demanded, disappointed that his hidden ace had missed, pointing at the specter as it hovered behind him "You telling e you can see this thing?"

"Quite clearly." Neji admitted, dusting himself of as he spoke "The fact of which proves it's fairly powerful, certainly better than I'd have expected." He narrowed his eyes, moving into a slightly different stance from before, his guard tighter "I won't make the same mistake of getting in range again."

"So you finally decided to quit dancing around and just scrap it out huh?" Naruto mocked, grinning eagerly as he cracked his knuckles, popping his neck joints to limber up "Lets go then!" he yelled, lunged forwards at a run, the spirit behind him lashing out with a fierce right hook, only for Neji to lean back out of the way, inhaling deeply as he did so.

Abruptly, Naruto felt an immense pressure land on his shoulders, driving him to his knees as he fought for breath. The spirit hovered limply behind him for a moment as if in concern, before fading to nothingness, leaving him doubly exhausted. "Bastard…" he gasped, glaring up at Neji as he fought to get up, "What the hell…did you do?"

"That is for me to know, and you to lie there trying to figure out." Neji replied, standing over the fallen blonde, an impassive, almost dismissive look in his eyes as rain fell from the sky, outlining an invisible figure hovering behind the teen as he watched the blonde gasp for air "You never stood a chance against me," he pointed out, his tone bereft of emotion, merely stating a fact "I suggest you forget you ever met Hinata-sama, unless you wish to disappear."

With that, the older teen gestured to the guards, who were picking themselves up and nodded, grabbing Hinata by the shoulder, "Let us go." He ordered, leading the worried girl down to the limousine, the engine starting up and driving off after a minute or so.

* * *

_As the limo drives away..._

Naruto clenched his teeth as he fought to breath, but the pressure refused to lighten until the sound of the limo had faded away, and when it did, it did so abruptly, causing him to collapse.

"Damn it...!" he hissed, struggling to regain his footing, only to finally pass out from exhaustion, lying in the rain in the middle of a small imprint in the ground.

After a moment, a shadow stepped out from behind the tree, walking towards the teen and standing over him. Reaching down, the figure pried Naruto out of the dent he'd made with his body, supporting him with his shoulder with barely a grunt.

"That one was far beyond you Naruto-kun..." Rock Lee noted, eyeing where Neji had last stood with an intense look in his eyes "that is...as you are right now, at least." He corrected, grunting slightly as he switched the unconscious blonde onto his back, carrying him down the hill, the rain pelting them with every step they took.

* * *

There you have it, the first battle between Naruto and Neji. This is but a prelude of things to come.

Foot notes:

Yare-Yare-tebayo: Naruto's catch phrase, which is a combination of Kujo Jotaro's 'Yare Yare Daze' and the original Naruto's 'Dattebayo!'

Gashapon: Capsule machines. Popular the world over, you put money in and get a small plastic container. In Japan, the contents are usually collectible anime/manga models/toys.

Kenshiro: Main Character of the legendary Fist of the North Star series, of which JoJo creator Araki is a huge fan.

Changes this chapter:

1. Again, nothing really major, just edited a few paragraphs.

2. Some of you may have noticed I've removed a few of the Japanese phrases that used to be in this. I figured I didn't really need them, so I substituted them with similar context words. However, certain catchphrases will remain.

Liked it? Hated it? R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, I'm literally kicking myself for not correcting this oversight earlier.

I can't remember if someone warned me about this before but if you did, you have my thanks and earnest apologies.

This, this was just careless, and I don't know if it happened due to negligence or if I was just too busy to notice, but here it is, Chapter 4, revisited.

* * *

Chapter 4: Hamon and Stands.

"All that trouble because you decided to run off." Neji muttered, the elder Hyuuga scowling at his cousin as he sat across from her in the back of the limo, the girl flinching and lowering her head, her expression miserable as she sat between two of the guards, who were looking the worse for wear after their tussle with the Hurricane King "Really now, you'd think almost killing him in a crash would have been enough."

Hinata flinched and Neji sighed, annoyed at her weakness. A normal woman would have at least struck back verbally, or glared silently at the accusation, but then a normal woman wouldn't have to be picked up by bodyguards from school. "Now then," he continued, "I hope that this has taught you not to go wandering…"

He paused, a strange feeling going through his body, Hinata letting out a shriek of terror as her cousin's chest was abruptly slashed open, Neji doubling over with a curse, coughing up blood as the bodyguards cried out in alarm.

"I'm fine!" the elder Hyuuga snapped, pushing the guards away, pressing a hand to his chest, where several thin cuts had suddenly appeared, slicing through his shirt in the process "Watch the damned road!"

The guards settled down, one trying, ineffectively, to comfort a sobbing Hinata, whilst another pulled out an emergency field kit and handed it to Neji.

'How?' the Hyuuga muttered, tracing one of the cuts tenderly as Iodine was dabbed onto the wound. It wasn't deep enough to permanently scar, not that he cared for such things, but it had appeared so swiftly, and the wounds left behind so thin, that the blood had literally sprayed as it exited.

'Could this be his ability?' Neji wondered, his eyes widening as he recalled how he'd narrowly dodged the blow from Naruto's Stand back on the hill 'I never even felt it!' he muttered, staring out into the rain as the guard proceeded to disinfect the wound, scowling at the outline of the tree in the moonlight.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he muttered, a light of intrigue shining in his eyes "a most interesting person indeed."

* * *

_The Next Day... _

Naruto awoke to find himself wrapped up in a futon, a warm cloth on his forehead to ward off the cold. He looked over and spied his clothes hanging by the window, drying in the sun as a radio announced the weather for the day to be clear. "Where-" he began, sitting up from the futon, looking up as the shogi door opened, admitting Lee with a bowl of soup.

"Oh, you're awake?" the older teen asked, setting the tray down and offering the bowl to the blonde, "Eat up, you were half frozen when I brought you here."

Naruto nodded dumbly, looking round the room to find it neat and orderly, with several books on martial arts and Tai Chi littering the shelves, as well as a practice block for katas in the corner. "I'm in your room?" he asked, earning a nod from Lee as he set about pouring some green tea into a cup, "How'd I get here?"

"I found you after those guy's left," Lee admitted, "I'm sorry to say I followed you, but I didn't feel like interfering."

Naruto moaned, not only had he had his ass handed to him by some longhaired prick, Lee-sempai had seen him? Things weren't looking up for our hero. "That dirty bastard used some sort of weird trick to make it hard to breath," he muttered, digging into his soup, "If he hadn't done that I'd have taken him."

"I noticed that." Lee admitted "It seemed he affected the air pressure around you to make the air heavier, like when you dive to the bottom of a pool, only stronger." He nodded at the blonde's shock, "I actually had to pull you out of the dent you left in the ground."

Naruto stared at the bowl in shock, an image of Neji's face appearing there, as he recalled the rain landing on something hidden behind him. "That bastard," He muttered, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, "the next time I see him I'm gonna-!"

"Get trounced again," Lee cut in, causing the blonde to turn to him angrily, "I felt the power coming off that guy, even I'd have trouble taking him on."

Naruto snorted, "No offence sempai but I still say I can take him," he cracked his knuckles, "I saw all his tricks, he won't catch me off guard again."

Lee shook his head, sighing as he decided the only way to teach the blonde anything was to pound it into his skull. "Naruto-kun," he spoke up, causing the teen to look up, "meet me in the dojo after you finish." He got to his feet, walking out the door and shutting it behind him.

"You really think it's necessary to use THAT?" Gai called out, Lee turning to find his guardian and mentor leaning against the doorway, his usually jovial features set in a solemn mask as he regarded his ward.

"I do." Lee admitted, his eyes calm as he bowed his head towards the man "Forgive me, Gai-Sensei, but Naruto-kun needs to know what he's up against," he turned on his heel and walked off "and I'm the best one to do so."

"You're not wrong..." Gai admitted, shaking his head with a sigh as the youth walked off "Oh well, at the very least, he'll end up a little wiser..." he smiled fondly at his adopted son "And who knows, you may yet receive a training partner."

* * *

_Maito Gai's Gutsy Dojo of Explosive YOUTH!_

Naruto entered the dojo wearing one of the spare green training gi that Gai-sensei always seemed to have lying around on the off-chance some new members wandered in the door and felt like practicing.

"This brings back memories," he mused, grinning around the dojo as he faced Lee, who stood up from meditating in the middle to face him "Reminds me of the first time we met."

"You had heard rumours about the dojo and decided to test yourself by taking the sign." Lee recalled, smiling at the memory of how they'd met "And I beat you in less than a minute."

"No need to remind me," Naruto muttered, recalling his first, and most brutal loss ever "I'd never received any proper martial arts training, I thought it was all fancy kicks and screaming, like in the movies." He smirked at the older teen and moved into a standard karate stance, "But I ain't the same guy I used to be, Senpai!"

He charged forwards, dodging to the side and striking at Lee's Shin, the older teen blocked and ducked low, aiming to sweep the blonde's leg from under him, only for Naruto to leap back. The blonde then charged low, going for a strike to the face, only for Lee to grab him by the front of his gi and flip him over. " You've gotten better." Lee applauded, watching as Naruto rolled with the throw and came to his feet, "That one always used to lay you flat."

"I told you I wasn't the same guy I used to be." Naruto shot back, rubbing his nose as he moved into a ready stance, jogging lightly on the balls of his feet as he circled the older teen warily "You still believe I can't take this guy?"

"Yes." Lee replied, his features so confident, so assured, that Naruto actually paused to gape at him "Skilled as you are, that man is even more so." he frowned, clenching his knuckles tightly "Maybe even more than ME."

Naruto blinked eyeing the look on the older teen's face, unable to comprehend what he'd just heard. Out of all the guys he'd tussled with, Lee was by far the best, if not THE best in their own age group. To this day, Naruto had never managed a definitive win against the older boy, though Lee assured him he was getting better with every tussle. The older boy's prowess was so great he'd once made it all the way to the National Championships, and there were rumors he had his eyes set on the Olympic title.

For someone like that to admit that there was someone better than him so calmly, so certainly, was enough to give even Naruto room for thought,

"Naruto-kun." Lee spoke up, startling the blonde out of his thoughts to find the older teen's fist rushing towards him, the blonde leaning to the side sharply to avoid being punched in the nose "What is one of the many thing's Gai-sensei and I have taught you?"

"Watch your enemy?" Naruto replied, the blonde leaping up to avoid a low kick, turning it into a spin kick that Lee weaved around, the elder teen grabbing Naruto's gi and executing a perfect throw, Naruto rolling as he came down and getting back to his feet warily. It seemed Lee was in a lecturing mood.

"Correct." Lee confirmed, moving back into his ready stance as Naruto lunged forwards again, fending off the younger's teen's blow with his one hand, performing a leg sweep that quickly turned into a high-kick to catch the blonde as he jumped, sending Naruto rolling across the ground once more, the blonde's eyes narrowing in frustration as he got back to his feet "And what did you notice about Hyuuga Neji when you fought him?"

Naruto frowned, his breath coming out hard as he thought back to the fight on the hill, his hackles rising as he recalled the 'holier-than-thou' attitude the older Hyuuga had worn like a cloak. "He was confident," he recalled "and fast, graceful." The blonde's eyes narrowed further as another detail rose to attention, one that wasn't clear at the time, but was literally staring him in the face as he regarded Lee "And he wasn't even breathing hard as I attacked him."

"Very good." Lee applauded, actually surprised that Naruto had noticed that last part in the midst of a fight, it just went to prove the blonde was sharper than most people believed him to be "And what is the second thing we taught you?"

"Know your surroundings," Naruto shot back, grateful for the break in the action as he got to his feet, taking a deep breath to steady himself, watching the Lee warily, ready to dodge if the elder teen made a move.

"Correct," Lee confirmed, nodding his head in approval "Now, when you were lying on the ground, did you happen to look around you?" He sighed as Naruto looked at him in confusion, "You weren't the only one affected by his technique," he explained, "I checked around, and several plants had withered, as if crushed, and there were several small animals lying around, out cold like yourself." He nodded at the blonde, "Even some of his men looked like they had been struggling to breathe."

Naruto blinked, recalling the figure hovering behind the Hyuuga in the rain, wondering if it had something to do with it. "That guy…" he muttered, "just before the pressure hit me, he took this massive breath, like he was about to yell or dive." He smirked, clenching his knuckles, "If I can get him before he does that, I've got him!"

"No, you haven't." Lee cut in, crossing his arms as he eyed the younger teen solemnly "As you are now you don't stand a chance against Hyuuga Neji." He shook his head with a small smile "Especially since you can't even best ME."

* * *

_Naruto's POV..._

Naruto blinked, not used to being mocked by LEE of all people, the elder teen was nothing if not humble, even during their first encounter he'd gone out of his way to be polite to the crass blonde thug that had marched disrespectfully into his guardian's dojo, not even bothering to remove his shoes.

That being said, even if it WAS Lee doing the talking, Trash Talk was Trash Talk, and Naruto's hair-trigger temper wouldn't allow ANYONE to get away with that, the blonde charging forwards, an increasingly familiar rush passing through his body heralding the arrival of the specter, Naruto grimacing as he tried to keep it from lashing out, not wanting to seriously hurt his senpai, only to blink as something wrapped around his leg, causing him to trip, the specter dissipating as his face hit the floor.

"FUCK!" he swore, rolling on the ground, hands clamped over his aching nose "Alright who's the wise guy?" he demanded, lowering his hands to glare beadily at whatever had tripped him up, only to blink as he spotted what appeared to be a bandage wrapped around his ankle "What the heck?" he wondered, following the wrapping back to it's source, only to see it disappear up Lee's sleeve "Senpai? But when did...HOW did you do that?"

"You still haven't figured it out?" Lee wondered, quirking a brow even as the rustling of cloth filled the air, Naruto's eyes widening as several more rolls of cloth bandages rose up behind the elder teen like serpents "Try touching the wrapping with your hand."

Naruto did so, his eyes widening in shock as he espied his fingers through the fabric, as if it wasn't truly there. Not only that, now that he got a closer look a the thing, it was clear the wrapping weren't casting any discernible shadow despite despite being solid enough to bind his leg.

"This is!" he realised, only to grunt as several more bandages wrapped around his body, the blonde looking up at Lee in shock as the elder teen tugged on the bandages, tightening his grip "Lee-Senpai? You too?"

"Indeed, Naruto-kun." the older teen confirmed, his features calm as he stood over the blonde, tightening his grip on the bandages once more "You are not the only one to be graced with a protective spirit."

'Dammit...' Naruto grimaced at the calm, almost emotionless expression in Lee's eyes as the bandages snaked their way up his body 'He's never used this against me before...' muttered, wincing as the bandages bound his arms to his sides, struggling tightly as they continued to press in 'Has he always been this strong?'

"MUDAH!" the blonde's Spirit yelled, erupting from behind it's master, ripping the bandages binding Naruto to as the blonde's arms snapped outwards, his fists clenched as he charged towards his senpai.

"Those bandages may have caught me off guard once." he admitted, weaving under another volley with the ease of years of dodging blows on the streets "But now that I know they're coming, they aren't strong enough to keep me down!"

He lunged forwards, the specter rearing back as they got within two meters of the older teen, ready to deliver a knockout blow. 'Sorry about this sempai,' Naruto muttered, as he charged Lee's flank, 'but I can't hold back if I'm gonna beat that guy!'

"Pretty impressive," Lee commented, not turning to face the threat, even as the spirit's fist neared his cheek, a fist flying out of nowhere to deflect the spirit's blow, another ramming into it's face, Naruto's head snapping back as he was sent sprawling onto his back, his own nose bleeding from the impact "But you're far too slow."

"W-what the hell?!" the blonde sputtered, reaching up to cover his bleeding nose, stunned by the sight of his own blood, his eyes widening as he gaped up at Lee, or rather, the disembodied arms hovering around the elder teen "The…bandages made arms?"

"Indeed." Lee confirmed, turning to face his kohai as the bandages beginning to converge behind him, seemingly wrapping around an invisible body "As you pointed out, on their own, my bandages are quick and good for restraining weaker opponents, but they lack in offensive strength and can be easily broken if the target is strong enough." The bandages took the form of a medium-built figure with long arms and legs, "However, if I gather them together, I can sacrifice range for offensive power."

Behind the bowl-haired teen a mummy like figure with a bowl shaped helmet, and green glass for eyes hovered behind the teen, arm extended and palm facing upwards as it eyed the blonde.

"That is the power of my spirit." Lee finished, moving into his trademark ready stance that his spirit mimicked "Kung-fu Generation!"

Naruto grimaced, torn between awe at the sight of the other spirit and annoyance at how Lee had kept it hidden all this time, before smirking, cracking his neck joints as he got to his feet.

"You really are full of surprises, aren't you, Lee-Senpai." He praised, eyeing the older teen warily even as his own spirit reappeared behind him, eyeing Lee's Mummy with a vindictive expression, clearly not liking the Sucker-Punch from earlier "Never thought YOU of all people could pull a fast one on me." He smirked as the spirit behind him seemed to thrum with anticipation, "But you see, this guy behind me?" he popped his knuckle joints, flexing his fingers, before launching forwards, "He's a lot more violent than I am!"

Lee watched calmly as the spirit swung its fists, raising an eyebrow impressively, before narrowing his eyes and sending his own into the fray.

"Mudah-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-!"

"Ata-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-!"

Both teens grit their teeth as their spirits duked it out, the sound of crashing fists echoing in the air as a breeze picked up between them. The right sleeve of Lee's gi tore, Naruto's cheek suddenly sprouted a cut, Lee grimaced as a grazing blow caused his shoulder to sting, and Naruto's jaw clenched as his collarbone was struck by some invisible force.

"MUDAH/HOHWAT-CHA!"

The two spirit's fists rammed into each other one last time, both teens to flinching and taking a step back as they felt their own hands reverberate from the blow, before Lee's spirit's left fist came up in a swift upper cut, stunning Naruto's and sending the teen staggering back to fall on his ass, blood seeping out of his mouth.

"In terms of strength, both of us seem evenly matched." Lee commented, standing over the blonde as his spirit hovered beside him in a ready stance, "The difference, Naruto-kun, lies in three factors." He held up a finger, the spirit mimicking his stance, "First is speed, I'm faster than you, so I can land more punches when we're in close range." He held up a second, spirit mimicking him again, "Secondly, is experience," he eyed the stunned blonde carefully, "I have known about this spirit since my birth, it has always been with me."

He held up a third finger, smiling down at his kohai as he did so. "And finally, how can someone use power, no matter how great, if they don't even know what it is?"

Naruto sat there, rubbing his jaw as he felt for any missing teeth; Sure enough one came loose during the blow and he spat it onto his palm, before staring up at Lee in shock. "Senpai," he muttered, eyeing the spirit behind Lee carefully, "What the hell ARE these things."

"A spirit." Gai called out, Naruto looking to the right to spot the man standing there with his arms crossed, apparently having been there for some time "But at the same time it is hardly a foreign one! It is, in actuality, a powerful image created from your own life-force!" He smiled at the blonde encouragingly "And because it stands by your side, we call this spirit, THE STAND!"

"A Stand?" Naruto repeated, blinking as Lee's spirit extended a hand, pulling the blonde to his feet and returning to its master's side, "I don't understand, if you've known about these things for so long, how come I only learned of mine now?"

"I'm not certain," Gai admitted, shaking his head with a frown "However, I believe that just as people can be born with Stands, there are other's who have the potential sleeping deep within their bodies." He raised a finger "It is a fact however that Stand users are attracted to one-another, so maybe it was fate that led you and Lee to meet."

Naruto fought down the urge to retch at the idea of something as redundant as Fate having anything to do with him. The blonde never put much faith in such things as fortune tellers or psychics, personally believing that it was a scam, and that anyone with a brain would go out and make their own destiny rather than have it spoon fed to them for a price. "Do you have one, Gai-sensei?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Alas no." Gai replied, shaking his head with a look of disappointment that he covered up quickly "However, I am able to see Stands because I have trained in ways that raise one's spiritual capacity." He sweat-dropped as Naruto stared at him with a deadpan expression, before coughing into his fist. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order…"

* * *

_A rundown bar in East Konoha..._

Mizuki howled as he lay on the cot in the prison cell at the Konoha Central Police Station, clutching his injured hand to his chest, his face a mass of bandages, from which you could still spot the odd cut or bruise if you looked close enough.

'DAMMIT!' the former instructor cursed, his good hand coming up to grip his face as a surge of pain rushed through him 'The girls used to flock to me because of my looks! They'd snuggle up to me like life-size dakko-chans!' His pupils narrowed to slits as he recalled the cause of his distress 'Until that brat ruined everything!'

From the moment Uzumaki Naruto had enrolled at East Konoha Gakuen, he'd been nothing but trouble for Mizuki. The Blonde hellion respected very few people, Iruka and Gai-sensei to name but a few, and even then had problems with authority, refusing to follow an order that he disagreed with, or outright ignoring anyone's attempts to reform him.

Initially, Mizuki had tried to get the thug under his control, after all having the punk known to the gangs as the Hurricane King at his beck and call would be an asset. However, as it soon proved impossible to bring the blonde Hellion to heel, he'd instead set about trying to get him removed, lest he ruin the man's operations.

But now it had all fallen apart, for with the blonde's revelation of Mizuki's true colours, all the man's plotting and scheming had been dragged into the light. Even without the attempted murder rap he was slammed with, with the amount of evidence they'd accumulated from his blackmail and extortion victims, it was highly unlikely Mizuki would ever see the light of day outside of prison bars again.

"Keep it down in there!" one of the guards on duty snapped, rapping his nightstick against the bars of the cell irritably "Don't make me come in there Mizuki," he warned, patting his stun gun for emphasis "trust me, after what you put those kids through, I won't hesitate to crank the voltage up!"

"Whatever you say officer..." Mizuki muttered between clenched teeth, glaring at the man as he walked off, doubling over on his cot as he gripped his ruined hand, muttering curses and swearing vengeance on him, the school, the town, and most of all on 'that bastard' Naruto the moment he got a chance.

"What a foul mouth you've got." A voice noted from outside the bars, Mizuki freezing, turning to look at the door, his eyes narrowing as he espied a shadowy figure standing before the bars, his features hidden, though Mizuki could easily make out the North Konoha Gakuen boys' uniform he was wearing, it wasn't that hard considering how white it was, the buttons done all the way up.

"What do you want?" Mizuki muttered, rising into a sitting position, his injured hand resting in it's sling as he glared at the figure, trying to make out who he was, or at least get a better look at his face, which proved impossible, given the shadows. The only features he could truly identify was the kid's hair, which reminded the former educator of a cockatoo for some reason, that or a duck's arse. "If your supposed to be my solicitor then I want my money back."

"Charming," the teen muttered, though a flash of annoyance crossed his eyes, evident by the tick under his right eye, "I overheard your desire for revenge…care for a little…help?"

Mizuki eyed the teen, unsure if this was a trap. The kid reminded him of someone…dangerous, especially with those dark, brooding eyes. Every bone in the man's body seemed to be giving out a warning klaxon, but the alcohol in his system, coupled with his hatred for virtually everything at that moment, simply told them to bugger off.

"What d'ya have in mind?"

* * *

_Konoha Park... _

Naruto waved at a passing elderly couple as he followed Lee and Gai through the park, he was wearing his regular school uniform attire, seeing as he felt that if an image worked, why change it. "So we come here to meditate or do Tai-chi or something?" he asked, sniffing in disdain as Lee looked at him, "You don't really believe in that enlightenment stuff do you."

"I do actually." Gai admitted, ignoring the sweatdrop his confirmation earned from the blonde "And those are two good methods to obtaining it." he walked over to one of the more deserted areas, where a large pool lay, the water rippling as a result of an artificial waterfall set up at the opposite end near a small outcrop, "Putting that aside, however, this is the best way to show you what I mean."

He turned to face the two, nodding to Lee, who walked off to the side to keep a look out for any intruders, Naruto noticing several snake-like bandages darting off around the trees, creating a net which would alert the elder teen to someone's presence. "So what's the big deal?" the blonde muttered, wincing as his collarbone ached, wondering if Lee had cracked it, "Why you drag me out he-URGH!"

The reason for the blonde's distress was apparent, for the moment he'd turned back to face Gai, the bushy-browed Gym Coach had dashed forwards, pinkie-finger extended from his fist as he rammed it into and under the teen's ribs, Naruto doubling over as the air was literally forced out of his lungs as they contracted.

"I've just expelled all the air in your lungs, down to the last centilitre." Gai explained as Naruto sunk to his knees, holding feebly onto the man's arm, for support "Do not worry, you'll be able to breathe again in a few seconds." he assured the youth, who looked up at him in confusion "In fact, I dare say you'll find it a lot easier."

'The hell is he talking about?' Naruto wondered, unable to voice his confusion aloud for obvious reasons, the blonde instinctively inhaling as he felt the constriction in his lungs die down, only for his eyes to widen as a surge ran through his body, infinitely more exhilarating than any adrenaline rush. His muscles seemed to swell slightly, his chest expanded out like some sort of accordion, the sharp pain of his collarbone instantly dissipating to nothing.

"W-what the hell?" he breathed, staring at his arms in amazement, like he'd never seen them before "What the…how the?" Blinking, the shocked teen raised his arms to his collarbone, finding it healed completely, the other dull aches that had been piling up to complain having died down as well "What is this?!"

He stood up, almost losing his footing at how light he felt. Spying a large rock, about the size of a football he grabbed it, lifting it one handed before lobbing it into the middle of the pond, startling a flock of ducks that scattered, quaking in anger.

'My collarbone,' Naruto muttered, 'I know I heal fast but this was broken not even a minute ago!' He stared out where the ripples from the stone were still spreading out. 'And that stone! It shouldn't have been that light, but I threw it one handed, and that far!'

He turned to Gai, who had a look on his face that seemed oddly reminiscent of a parent watching as a child took it's first step. "What is this?" Naruto asked, eyes wide in disbelief, "Gai-sensei, what the hell did you just do?!"

"Your youthful enthusiasm is refreshing," Gai praised, beaming at the blonde as he ignored the language, "But don't rush me, all will be explained in due time."

And with that, he turned towards the pond, walking over to it and, to Naruto's absolute shock, ONTO the water, striding across it with an air of normalcy, as he WEREN'T openly giving the laws of physics the finger "What's the matter, Naruto-kun?" he called out as the Blonde's jaw hit the floor, "Is there something the matter?"

"Something the matter?!" Naruto yelled, "How's about the fact you're stealing Jesus' act?!"

Gai chuckled, watching as the blonde ranted on about, 'God suing your ass for copyright infringement', before holding up a hand to silence him. "As you know, the basis of most martial arts is the breath," he explained, "using it, you can run for miles without tiring, focus your power to double your strength or strengthen your defenses." He held out a palm, crossing it across his chest, facing the water, "This however," he moved his arm out to his side "Is a completely different level of mastering one's breath!"

Naruto's eyes widened as ripples spread out in an irregular pattern from Gai's feet, catching the rays of the sun and forming shining golden arches as the stretched away from him. 'Those ripples!' Naruto marveled, seeing the regularity of the ripples as the crisscrossed seamlessly, 'Even I can tell that isn't natural!'

"With a single finger to your diaphragm," Gai called out, "I have adjusted your breathing patterns to replicate that of Lee and myself." The older man crossed his arms elegantly, seeming to leave afterimages in their wake as they came to rest at his sides. "Remember this Naruto!" he called out, "Your breath and Blood are connected! Blood carries oxygen from the lungs, which then travels to the cells that make up your entire body!"

He spread his arms wide, causing the ripples to shine again, "Like the ripples in the water, breathing causes 'ripples' to spread throughout your body!" Moving into a stance, Gai eyed a rock where a toad had apparently come out to sun itself, clenching a fist and raising it over his head. "Breathing creates energy!" He preached, "The same energy you are about to see is the one that healed you broken collarbone!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he realized what Gai was going to do, and attempted to leap into the water, only for one of Lee's bandages to grab his arm, holding him back. "Watch." the older teen ordered, not taking his eyes off his sensei and surrogate father as Naruto turned to yell at him, "Watch and learn Naruto-kun, Sensei knows what he's doing."

"RUUOOOOOOH!" Gai roared, punching down, trapping the frog between his fist and the mercilessly hard rock. However, instead of causing little amphibian parts to go flying, the rock beneath the frog shattered, crumbling to dust, the frog merely plopping into the water and swimming away. "This is the power of breathing," Gai explained, turning to face the shore, walking towards the stunned Naruto, "The power of Sendou…the power of Hamon!"

"Sendou…Hamon…" Naruto repeated, gazing out at the water in shock as Lee's bandages released him, vanishing back into the ether as the older teen recalled his Stand "Amazing..."

"From what Lee-kun was able to decipher " Gai commented, hopping back onto solid ground as he spoke "Everything within a five meter radius of your long-haired friend collapsed under the sudden change in air preassure." He held up a finger "Prior to that, he took an intensely long breath, this leads me to believe that he is at the very least a practitioner of the art of Hamon as well, if not a Master."

"You mean he's as strong as you?" Naruto gaped, staring at the man in shock, not liking the idea of going up against someone that could literally pull a Kung-Fu Jesus on him, only to relax as Gai waved a hand dismissively.

"I doubt that very much." the man assured the blonde, his tone so confident that Naruto didn't even question it "Though at the very least, he's a match for Lee-kun, who has been training in the art since I adopted him at the age of five."

Naruto flinched, looking down at the ground as the background faded away. 'Dammit!' he swore, 'That bastard…he wasn't just holding back…he wasn't even TRYING to fight me!' He clenched his knuckles, 'And I can't even take down Lee-senpai on a good day, even without him using Sendou or his Stand!'

Gritting his teeth, the blonde spun round, earning a startled cry from Gai as he lashed, out, slamming his fist into a tree, tearing the skin on his knuckles.

"Stop that at once, Naruto!" Gai ordered, grabbing the teen's arm to keep him from further damaging himself "Stop this! Just because you lost one fight you act like a child? Where's the honor in that?!"

Naruto grimaced, his free hand freezing against the trunk of the tree, though Gai maintained his grip on the other wrist just in case, sighing fondly as he smiled down at the blonde he'd come to regard as a second student.

"When you first challenged Lee you bragged and pranced about like a common brawler." he reminded the teen "But when you lost, rather than lose your temper, you vowed to keep coming back till you'd beaten Lee at his own game." He smiled down at the blonde, who was breathing heavy, though the anger seemed to be leaving his frame "That was five years ago, where'd all that youthful determination go?"

Naruto froze for a second, then relaxed, shoulders sagging as he exhaled, Gai released his arm and he turned round, leaning on the tree with a wry smirk. "Sorry for making a scene Sensei." the teen apologised, rubbing his blonde locks out of his face, "It's just that a lot of weird shit's been happening, and it was beginning to mess with my head."

"I understand." Gai assured him, after all, if it were anyone ELSE who'd gone through the week the blonde had just had, they'd probably need to be institutionalised, never mind DEAD "And I am willing to train you in this art, but only on the condition that you don't learn it for the sole sake of getting strong enough to get revenge."

"THAT again?" Naruto snorted, shaking his head as he regarded Lee's guardian with a wry smirk "Sensei, I've heard you say that a dozen times already, and you know me better than that." He held up a fist whilst grabbing a branch of the tree, striking a pose as the wind ruffled his hair. "The only reason I fight," Naruto preached, "is to make sure I don't lose any more precious people!"

Gai blinked, stunned silent by the teen's words, before smiling warmly at the blonde, Lee mimicking his sensei's face as he came up behind him, only to blink in amazement and grab the man's shoulder. "Gai-Sensei!" the older teen yelled, pointing at the branch Naruto was holding, Gai's eyes widening as he realised what had startled his protegee.

The branch, which had been barren and dry, suddenly bloomed cherry blossoms, the entire branch erupting in out of season blossoms whilst the rest of the tree remained untouched.

'Amazing!' Lee marveled, his eyes wide with disbelief 'Even though it is only a branch, the fact that it reacted in such a way to Naruto-kun's touch…unbelievable!' He stared on as Naruto gazed at them in confusion, unaware of the miracle happening just above him, 'The energy that healed his bones still remains, channeled through his body and into the tree!'

'The boy's body has already adapted to the ripple!' Gai marveled, shaking his head in wonder at how quickly Naruto seemed to pick up this new ability 'He's a natural! A veritable conduit for the Ripple!'

"Sensei? Senpai?" Naruto called out, snapping the two out of their trance, the blonde looking more than a little freaked out by this point "You guys okay in there? Was it something I said?"

"Nothing at all, Naruto-kun." Gai assured the teen, smiling at the youth as he raised a hand to waylay his fears "I was merely touched by your youthful enthusiasm!" he proclaimed, nodding to Lee before patting the younger teen on the back "Why don't you two head on over to Ichiraku's and order lunch, it's on me."

"YAHOO!" Naruto yelled, his earlier discomfort all but forgotten as he punched the air, his eyes lighting up with glee as he turned on his heel and raced off for the park entrance, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake "C'mon senpai, I'll race ya!"

"That isn't fair Naruto-kun!" Lee chastised dashing off in hot pursuit, easily catching up to his younger rival as they made for the ramen stand "You have a head start!"

Gai chuckled, listening to the sounds of their footsteps die down before turning his attention to the blossoming branch again. 'Normally such an action would be unthinkable,' he noted, marvelling at the out of season blossoms 'For Naruto to instinctively channel the ripple in such a manner with no prior training…what amazing potential he must posses!'

He gazed heavenwards, eyes searching the clouds in wonderment. "That boy," he muttered, "Truly, he is an interesting person." He chuckled, recalling how Lee would advise Naruto on how to properly kick in a fight, even whilst the blonde swore at him to stand his ground, "But then again, Lee-kun figured that out long before I did."

* * *

_Hyuuga Manor... _

"I see." Hyuuga Hiashi commented, not looking up from a document he was signing even as Neji finished his report regarding the events surrounding his eldest daughter's latest escapade "And where is Hinata now?"

"In her room." Neji replied, "Since returning home she hasn't set one foot outside the door, not even to eat meals."

Hiashi sighed, finished applying his signature to the document before placing it in an envelope, shutting it with the family stamp. He gestured to the butler, who nodded and took the letter, along with several others, out of the room, leaving the two alone. "And this boy," Hiashi spoke up "this Uzumaki Naruto…what do you think of him, Neji?"

Neji blinked, clearly not expecting such a question from his Uncle, before shrugging it off as simple curiosity. After all, twice now Hinata-sama's paths had crossed with the Yankees, and both times had led to Hiashi having to mobilize his personal bodyguards to cover everything up.

"He's just a typical east-side thug." Neji opined, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked his uncle in the eyes "A thug with good intentions I'll concede, given the reports we've garnered from the general public, but a thug nonetheless." he paused for a moment, wondering if he should elaborate further, before deciding it may be prudent to let the Hyuuga head know just what they were dealing with "Also, it should be noted that as a result of Hinata-sama's actions at the hospital, he has awakened his Stand."

"I see..." Hiashi muttered, his brows furrowing at the revelation, though Neji couldn't tell if the man was displeased or merely intrigued, as Stand users were rare enough in and of themselves, even amongst those who'd experienced Hinata-sama's...talents. "I suppose we'll need to keep a closer eye on him from now on." he quirked a brow at Neji's scoff "I take it you don't consider him worth watching?"

"He's hardly a threat, even with a Stand." the younger Hyuuga opined, his tone dismissive even as recalled that night in the limo "I'll admit he's pretty impressive when it comes to brawling, but other than that, and his penchant for getting into trouble he doesn't strike me as being worth our attention."

"Even though he scarred you chest?" Hiashi asked, surprising his nephew with his knowledge "Make no mistake, Neji, that while they may be under your authority, Hinata's bodyguards are under MY employ." He reminded the teen, "You would do well to remember that in future."

"I will keep that in mind, Hiashi-sama." Neji muttered, his features neutral, though internally he was seething at the idea that his subordinates would go behind his back, even if it WAS on Hiashi's orders "May I take my leave? I have an early class tomorrow."

Hiashi nodded, dismissing the boy and turning his head to the window of his study, eyeing the sky as the sun set behind the forest range. 'Uzumaki…Naruto…' he muttered, feeling a light breeze lift his hair slightly at the thought, 'Can it possibly be a coincidence?'

* * *

_Elsewhere, Hyuuga mansion... _

'It's all my fault...' Hinata sobbed, the heiress sitting on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest and her head bowed as she rocked back and forth 'If it weren't for me, Naruto-kun and Neji-Niisan wouldn't have had to fight...wouldn't have gotten hurt again.'

She flinched as the memory of her elder cousin's blood spraying across the car, almost staining her uniform but falling short at her shoes. So shocked was she by the sudden injury, so shaken from the earlier fight between her cousin and Naruto, that she'd collapsed into sobs, barely able to hear the comforting words of the awkward guard she was hiding her face from.

'Why is it always me?' she wondered sadly, holding herself tighter, tears leaking from her eyes as she tried to make sense of everything 'Why do people always get hurt because of me?'

"Onee-chan?" a voice called out, Hinata looking up, blinking the tears out of her eyes as she spied the small, worried face of Hanabi, her little sister looking at her from across the bed"You're crying." the youngest Hyuuga noted, eyeing her elder sister in concern, "Are you okay?"

Hinata shivered, the memory of the blood and Naruto's lifeless eyes flashing before her own, "I'll be fine," she lied, trying to reassure her younger sibling, "It's just been a long day."

Hanabi eyed the girl carefully, before climbing onto the bead and embracing her sister, earning a warm smile from Hinata. "You don't have to lie to me," she assured her, startling the older girl yet again with her unusual maturity, "I don't like it when you're sad."

Hinata smiled and returned the hug, the two remaining like that for some time before getting under the covers, Hanabi stating she wanted to sleep there, the elder Hyuuga smiling as she felt her sibling hug her in her sleep, slowly falling asleep herself.

'I'll protect you Nee-chan,' Hanabi promised, 'I hate it when you cry, I'll always be there to help you.'

* * *

So yeah, a few things different in this chapter.

1. The Most obvious is Mizuki being in a Prison Cell instead of getting drunk at a bar. Looking back, that was a bit of a brain fart on my part, as I highly doubt anyone would let a man out of jail after assaulting a police officer, stealing his gun, and attempting to murder a kid in front of WITNESSES.

2. Edited things so Neji didn't come off as such an arrogant prick. He's still a prick, to be certain, but he's not an arrogant one. He's simply noting that Naruto, as he is now, isn't a threat, though admittedly one of the reasons for this is he wants to get payback for his scars without Hiashi stepping in.

That said, here's the 4th chapter, revisited and edited for those who missed it.


	5. Chapter 5

Since all of you asked for it, here is the first, NAMED stand thus far. Don't worry, I'll get to Naruto's soon, but he hasn't named it yet so I can't display it's stats.

Stand: Kung-Fu Generation User: Rock Lee

Power: A Speed: A Range: C

Staying: C Precision: B Learning: A

1- Manipulates bandages to form body. Range can be extended while unraveled, but power is weak.

2- Bandages can be used to attack or restrain enemy.

3- Capable of channeling Hamon.

A: (Very Good) B: (Good) C: (Average) D: (Bad) E: (Poor)

* * *

Naruto no Kimyōna Bōken

Shippuden

Chapter 5: Repercussions.

Shikamaru sighed as he walked down the steps of Naruto's apartment bloc, cursing the blonde horror and his love of high places. 'I mean c'mon!' he whined, 'Why the hell would anyone purposely choose an apartment on the sixth floor when there were plenty below?'

"No luck Chouji," he called out, shaking his head at the larger teen, "looks like we're flying solo again."

Chouji nodded, munching away at his barbecue chips contentedly as he fell into step alongside his friend. They were currently into the first week of their spring break, and right now the trio would be cruising the arcades, lazing around or, if Naruto won the vote, beating the crap out of any yakuza grunts that had the misfortune to cross their paths before pigging out on ramen.

'And of course, WHO gets stuck thinking up reasons to explain to our folks why our clothes are ripped up?' Shikamaru muttered, sighing in resignation, 'Ah, well, may as well enjoy the day.'

"Any plans Shikamaru?" Chouji asked, tossing the packet into a trash bin and pulling and looking round for something else to nibble.

The Nara merely snorted and put his hand behind his head. "We haven't been up at the old tree recently," he commented, "what say we go cloud gazing, the weather looks good."

Chouji shrugged and followed the teen, the two completely unaware they had picked up a tail some streets back.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hinata sat in her room, brushing out Hanabi's hair gently, the two sisters enjoying some private time now that the school had let out. Hanabi smiled at her sister, earning a smile in return from Hinata as she noticed the reflection. "You're growing up quickly Hanabi." The older girl commented, a sad smile on her face, "Okaa-san would have been proud."

Hanabi looked down, their mother had passed away about a year after giving birth to the younger girl, meaning she had no memories of her. Hinata had told her all about their mother, since their father had been too caught up with work.

She had told her of her mother's love of books and lilacs, how lavender had been her favorite scent and colour, but most of all, she recalled her mother's gentle, loving hands and features.

Shaking her head to clear it of such depressing thoughts, Hinata reached for the comb to finish the job, only for a rush to run up her body as she made contact with the handle.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_A lazy faced teen is slumped against a wall, breathing heavily as he holds a bloodstained hand to his bleeding shoulder. He stared in horror at what the barrel of the gun pointed at his face._

_A large boy with brown hair is sent sprawling after a massive man hits him in the back. He struggled to get up, only for the man to start stamping on his stomach._

_A friendly looking man with a scar across his nose slumps forwards as his back apparently erupts into blood, a massive, man-tiger leering behind him._

_A pair of golden, serpent-like eyes narrowed at her maliciously, a set of fangs rushing forwards at lightning speed._

**_"ONEE-CHAN!"_**

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hinata jumped, wincing as her muscles cramped, as was routine for one of her 'attacks', before looking up into the worried eyes of her sister and attempting to smile weakly. Hanabi merely broke out into relieved sobs and hugged her older sibling tightly.

"What is the problem?" a voice called out, heralding the arrival of Hyuuga Neji, who was looking annoyed, "Did Hinata-sama have another attack?" he asked, earning a nod from Hanabi, "I'll fetch the doctor, stay with her."

Hanabi shivered as the elder teen left, the room. She didn't know why, but something about her cousin reminded her of ice. Hinata had once told her that she and Neji had been very close as children…but right now that seemed as likely as the sky being purple.

Hinata shivered as she lay on the floor, the memory of those eyes scaring her to her core. 'Tou-san…Kaa-san…' she whispered, before shutting her eyes and curling into a tighter ball, 'Naruto-kun…'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto closed his eyes, standing in the midst of the water as he faced Lee, the older teen standing an arms length away from him. The two of them were stripped to the waist, with exception of weighted wristbands and vests, Lee's his usual green and Naruto's a standard black.

Gai, standing off to the side yet close enough to see what was going on, nodded once and the two extended their arms until they were parallel with one another.

'Our reach is equal,' Naruto noticed, eyeing his sempai warily, 'Lee-sempai may be faster but at this range it really shouldn't matter.' He frowned, his jaw aching dully as if in contradiction to his thoughts.

Gai raised a hand, before dropping it sharply; signaling for the two teens to start. Both Naruto and Lee moved, arms cocking and lunging forwards in a punch at roughly the same moment. At first it looked like a double knockout was at hand, but at the last minute, Lee's arm seemed to extend, granting him an extra foot in range, his fist ramming into Naruto's jaw, sending the blonde sprawling backwards with a yelp.

'He did it again!' the blonde marveled, raising himself from the water and wiping his jaw, 'On top of being slightly faster, his arm suddenly extended!'

"How do you keep doing that?" he asked, accepting the hand Lee offered to lift him up, whilst Gai stepped forwards.

"You still aren't using the breathing patterns I've taught you." The older man chastised, a stern look on his face as he looked down at the blonde, "Remember, the Hamon energy that healed your body is extremely sensitive to emotional distress," he held up a finger, "ANYONE can use it instinctively, but in order to access the TRUE power of the ripple, you need to continuously utilize the rhythm!"

Naruto nodded, slapping his cheeks and getting in front of Lee again, "Warkata-tebayo!" he muttered, getting into the stance again. Gai nodded, stepping back as he watched Lee instruct the teen on the all-essential breathing pattern yet again.

'He's come quite a long way for a beginner,' the man noted, eyeing the blonde carefully, 'not even a week and he's almost got the breathing pattern down.' He sighed as Lee once again sent the teen flying, shaking his head as the blonde yelped, spitting out blood as a result of biting his tongue. "He's either a genius…or a stubborn bastard." Gai commented, chuckling as Naruto marched back to the older teen and got into position, "Most likely the latter."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iruka sighed as he looked over the last few exam papers he had to mark, wondering why, out of all the available staff, HE had been the unfortunate duty of taking on Mizuki's responsibilities on top of his own.

'Bad enough my own class is scraping the barrel,' he muttered, 'but what the hell was Mizuki doing? Half these kid's can't even spell!'

He moaned and put his head in his hands, deciding to go out for a coffee to relax, before tackling the rest of the damn sheets later. He whimsically dreamt of going off to enjoy the spring break, only to slump as he realized the school would just fax the sheets to him.

Locking the door to his apartment behind him, the instructor passed by Naruto's flat, staring sadly at the locked door, the blonde having not come home in several nights. 'Get a hold of yourself man,' he muttered, shaking his head and walking past the door hurriedly, 'keep this up and you'll go bald!'

Several minutes, and a nice refreshing mocha, later and the frazzled teacher's nerves were slowly on the mend. He nodded cheerfully at the waitress as she brought him a refill, before picking up the paper to see what he'd missed in the sports section. A flash of silver caught his attention, causing him to look up in surprise as Mizuki walked past the window, fully healed and dressed in a jacket and jeans.

'What the heck?' Iruka wondered, recalling the last time he'd seen the former instructors face, it had resembled raw hamburger meat, only less appetizing, 'How'd he heal so fast?'

Placing money for his drink on the table, the man got to his feet and rushed out to tail his former colleague, looking for a chance to find out how he was. Now most people, upon discovering their workmates were despicable bastards would wash their hands of them altogether, but Iruka was the sort that wouldn't let things alone until he'd put all the pieces together.

He followed Mizuki to a warehouse, wondering if he'd gotten a job as a laborer, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of a black Limo with Yakuza guards parked next to it. 'What on earth?' the scarred instructor breathed, sneaking to the side and climbing up on some crates to crawl through a window, giving him a good view of the proceedings.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good day Gentlemen." Mizuki greeted, hands raised defensively as several firearms were pointed in his general direction, "Please, I come in peace."

"Yer about ta leave in pieces!" a thug with an Osaka dialect yelled, only to blink as the silver-haired figure disappeared.

"Now really, is that any way to treat the bearer of opportunity?" Mizuki commented, sitting atop some crates off to the side, startling the thugs, "I understand you guys have been having some…problems setting up shop."

The leader of the gang held up a hand, ordering his men to stand down as he eyed the silver-haired man warily. "What is it you are proposing?" he asked, earning a snort from Mizuki.

"How would you guys like to be rid of the greatest pain in your collective asses since prohibition?" the former instructor asked, "I am of course, referring to the one you call the 'Hurricane King'"

The thugs began muttering restlessly at the man's words, earning a smirk from Mizuki as the leader held up a hand for silence. "What do you propose?" the older man asked, looking skeptical "We've tried many times to trap him, but he always gets away."

"That's because he doesn't work alone." Mizuki replied, holding up two photo's, "Get rid of THESE two, and you effectively sever his arms and legs."

He tossed the photos to the leader, who raised an eyebrow at the pictures of Chouji and Shikamaru, "I trust you have information on these two?" the boss asked, to which Mizuki held up a floppy disk, "And what will you be asking in exchange?"

"Simple," Mizuki replied, "and relax, it isn't money, though that WOULD be appreciated." He reached up, pushing a lock of hair out his face as he grinned insanely, "I want the damn brat's HEAD!"

The Yakuza shivered at the insane glint in the former instructor's eyes, some instinctively tightening their hold on their weapons, before the leader nodded. "Agreed," he stated calmly, "but I must ask, how do you intend to draw the 'Hurricane King' into this trap?"

"Oh don't worry," Mizuki assured the man, chuckling darkly "anyone can set a trap…" he smirked up at the ceiling, "provided they have the right BAIT."

Quick as a wink, the silver haired former instructor drew out a throwing knife from his belt and hurtled it at a crate, causing a sharp cry to sound out as a figure fell to the floor, landing on the table with a harsh crash.

"My-my Iruka." Mizuki commented, as the yakuza gathered round the injured man like sharks, "You really shouldn't be so nosy…curiosity killed the cat and all that."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shikamaru sighed as he listened to his mother rant on, staring at the books she'd piled on his desk in mild disinterest. The woman was determine that he go over the relevant chapters before the day was out, even if she had to glue him to the chair.

"And don't bother trying to call Chouji," Mrs. Nara warned him, "I already called his mother and she's got him doing chores." She went to the door and nodded, "You father and I are going out, and I'll expect you to have finished by the time we come back."

Shikamaru moaned as the door shut with the finality of a jail cell, only to look over the books and sigh. 'I've memorized all these already,' he muttered, 'I'll just laze about until she comes back.'

Sighing, he waited until he heard the car pull away, before getting up and reaching for the computerized Go board on his desk, only for the window to shatter and the board to erupt into shrapnel and sparks.

"SHIT!" the Nara swore, rolling to the side as another shot almost clipped his ear, huddling behind the bed as he finally noticed the little red bead that was snaking down the wall. "What the fuck is going on?!" he yelped, panting heavily as he tried to think of a way out, "Who the fuck is shooting at me?!"

He took a breath and calmed himself, thinking carefully as he recalled what he knew about rifles and the like, whilst taking in the layout of his room.

'Okay, he's fired at least three times in my general direction, all of which were pretty damn close.' He frowned, eying what remained of his mirror carefully, 'That means he's on the roof of the building across from us, that gives him the perfect vantage point.' He eyed the clock on the wall warily, 'But if I time this right…'

He leapt to his feet, charging for the door just as a bullet shot towards him. Across the street, a burst of steam erupted from a vent, scalding the sniper, who screamed, firing off a shot in desperation.

Shikamaru slammed the door open and made to dash through it, only for the stray bullet to clip his shoulder, the impact sending him sprawling to the floor outside his room. "FUCK!" the teen swore, rolling out of the way as pain seared up his body, "SHIT! AGH!"

He grimaced as he crawled to the stairs, pulling himself to his feet as he heard the front door bust open. 'Fuck, more of them, shoulda guessed,' he winced, before eyeing the laundry shoot in the wall, grimacing as the footsteps charged up the stairs.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the Yakuza reached the steps, it was to find the hallway deserted, save for the blood that lead out of the room and towards a wall, where the laundry shoot lay open. "He's headed for the basement!" one yelled, causing the other's to whirl round and march down the steps like a herd of elephants.

Inside the shoot, Shikamaru let out a sigh of relief, as he used his legs to keep from falling down, 'Thank god for rent-a-thugs,' he muttered, 'but what now? I can't stay like this forever.' He eyed the shoot warily, wondering if he could get up to the attic from here, before grunting and beginning the long, gruesome climb.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chouji thanked the girl behind the counter as he counted his change, nodding appreciatively as he picked up the steaming bags of food. His parents had decided to order out for a change, and so had sent him to a nearby stand called Chao Bao Zi to pick it up, having heard good things about the place. The girl behind the counter smiled warmly and bowed, reminding the large teen vaguely of a Koala as a she turned to assist another customer.

'Wonder if I should try asking her out?' the teen wondered shyly, before looking up as he heard the sound of a car coming towards him. A woman screamed, causing him to spin round to spot the black car as it barreled towards him. Tossing the bags of food aside, the large teen barely managed to jump in time, landing on the bonnet and ramming into the windshield, rather than being smashed against the side of the renovated tramcar.

The other customers started screaming, the owner trying to calm them down as two large figures climbed out of the car. One grabbed Chouji by the collar and dragged him off the hood, punching him in the chest, causing him to gag.

"Dammit!" the man cursed, "Couldn't go down easy could ya? Had to make things difficult!" He kicked the large teen in the ribs, his partner pulling out a pair of brass knuckles as he came round the side of the car.

"Ease up there," the second thug called out, "leave some for me dammit!"

As the first thug pulled back his foot Chouji grabbed it, rising to his feet and pushing the man over, wincing as his ribs protested. 'Everything's blurry…' he thought shakily, 'probably gonna black out in a minute…' he noted the thugs coming towards him as if through a haze and shook his head 'Gotta get outta here!'

"He's makin a break for it!" the first yelled, as Chouji limped off as fast as he could, his body trembling from the collision, "Where ya going brat? We're just getting started!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chouji panted as he leaned against the side of the tramcar, desperately trying to remain conscious, before a pair of hands pulled him into the doorway, slamming it shut and bolting it. "Who-?" he began, only to be silenced as the girl from before held a hand to his mouth, hiding under the tabletop as the thugs marched around outside.

"Where'd he go?!" one yelled, "Did he go down that manhole? Get after him!"

Chouji blinked as the footsteps receded, looking at the girl as she sighed in relief. She informed the teen that she'd opened one of the manholes to confuse the thugs, and that the two of them should escape before they returned, somehow without actually opening her mouth.

"Pretty clever." A voice called out, "But hardly original." The lead thug kicked the door open, earning a small scream from the girl as he forced his way into the tram. "People like you really piss me off ya know?" he growled, eyeing the girl, "Coulda lived if ya just minded yer own business, why butt in?"

The girl grabbed a kitchen knife and held it in front of her, only to be backhanded against the counter, "Get outta the damn way," the thug muttered, "I'll deal with you-Hn?!"

To the man's shock Chouji, who he had deemed unconscious, had launched himself at the thug, a pan full of hot grease in his hand, which he flung at the man's face. The thug screamed as the smell of roasting flesh filled the air, just as Chouji tackled him, sending them crashing out the door onto the pavement.

"D-DAMN YOU TO HELL!" the thug screamed, kicking out and catching Chouji in the stomach, getting to his feet and stamping on him repeatedly, "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU DAMN BASTARD!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shikamaru grunted as he landed on the attic floor, gripping his aching shoulder as he crawled behind some boxes of winter clothing.

'Damn,' he cursed, 'now I think about it, getting trapped up here was probably one of the worst ideas ever.' He eyed the dimly lit room tiredly, huddling closer to the wall as if hoping to escape notice, 'Dammit, how'd they find out where I live?'

"I'm gonna check upstairs." A voice called out, causing the teen to moan as he realized they were smarter than they looked, "Relax, it's just one brat, and besides, you saw the blood, he ain't goin nowhere."

Shikamaru grit his teeth as the footsteps approached up the steps, pressing his back against the wall as he thought desperately for a way out of this mess. A chuckle brought his attention to the man at the stairway, cursing as he noticed the man's trail of sight.

"Shoulda been more careful brat," the man mocked, as he followed the drops of blood on the floor "left a mess behind, didn't your parents teach you anything?"

He leered at the teen as he rounded the corner, grinning as he pulled out his gun and pointed it at the teen's forehead. "Nothing personal brat," the thug stated mockingly, "just business, you've been hanging out with the wrong guy." He cocked the trigger and smirked, "But don't worry, he'll be joining ya soon enough!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chouji coughed out blood as the man's size-fifteen shoe came crashing down onto his abused stomach. Bile rose into the teen's mouth as his stomach tried to force out its contents.

"You damn brats have been a pain in our sides fer far too long!" the thug yelled, stamping on the teen's chest, driving his heel into his sternum, "All that damn manpower wasted, just so you can act like heroes?" He kicked him in the side, sneering as he cried out in pain, "Damn brat! There ain't no heroes! The strong feed on the weak, the weak die!" he cackled as he stood on Chouji's head, grinding it into the dirt, "Y'HEAR ME YA FAT PIECE A SHIT?!"

Chouji flinched, before glaring up at the man in anger, his teeth grit and a vein on his forehead. "Teme-!" he growled, pushing himself up off the ground, "The fuck did you just say?!"

"SHUT YER FACE!" the thug yelled, stamping on the back of the teen's head, driving him face-first into the ground, "Oh? Still struggling?" he wondered, pushing harder on the teen's neck, "Go ahead! You'll just snap yer own neck!"

"KHII-!" Chouji grit out, his teeth clenched tightly as he tried to raise his head off the ground; The massive teen slowly managed to raise himself to his hands, arms trembling under the weight of the thug.

'B-BAKANA?!' the thug thought as he pushed harder, 'I weigh almost 200lbs! How the hell could a brat like this-?'

"HUUOOOOH!" Chouji roared, rising to his feet as he tossed off the offending foot, spinning his fist around like a small meteorite, "WHO YOU CALLIN' FAT YOU BASTARD!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shikamaru stared dully at the barrel of the bullet, laughing to himself as he realized how hopeless it all was. 'Man, all I wanted was to live an unremarkable life, marry a plain, quiet woman, have two kids, then retire once my kids were old enough.' The teen muttered sullenly, 'Was that asking too much? Mendokuse…'

"Any last requests?" the thug asked, grinning mockingly down at the injured teen. Shikamaru glared up at him, a hint of fear shuddering down his spine, before smirking with uncharacteristic bravado and giving the man the finger.

"Yeah," the teen replied calmly, a familiar vulpine smirk crossing his features for a brief moment, "Make sure ya don't miss, cause if you do, I'm taking you down."

"Don't kid yourself brat!" the thug scoffed, "At this range a blind chimpanzee couldn't miss!" He pointed the barrel dead between the teen's eyes and pulled the trigger, "SHINEE-EH?!"

Just as the man's finger moved he stumbled backwards as his foot apparently sank into the floor, causing him to lose his balance and the bullet to ricochet off a pipe, slamming into the skull of the man who came up to see what was taking so long.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" the gunman yelped, trying to get to his feet, only to stare in horror that he was slowly being pulled into a shadow. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" he screamed, firing at the shadow to no avail. He continued to fire until the clip was empty, even as he was pulled in up to the neck. He scrabbled for some sort of handhold, only to leave trails in the wood as he disappeared under the darkness, his screams dying out as soon as it closed over him.

Shikamaru stared at the shadow in shock, just as a large, shadowy form materialized behind him. It was tall, the head shaped like some sort of beak, two glowing red eyes glowing as the belt around it's waist bore his trademark no-entry sign on the buckle, two more adorning the shoulders.

(Imagine Eddie from Guilty Gear X, only with the belt buckle and marks on the shoulders)

"Mendokuse…" the lazy teen muttered shakily, "Damn Naruto…why does all this freaky shit happen around you?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chouji roared as he rammed his fist into the man's jaw, sending him sprawling backwards, the man landed hard, pulling out a gun and pointing it at the large teen, causing him to duck behind a stone bench.

"Not so damn tough now are ya?!" the man called out shakily, his face rising up in puss-filled welt s from the scalding grease, "You little shit, I'm gonna enjoy killing you!"

Chouji ducked as a bullet clipped the edge of the bench, cursing as he realized that he couldn't make it to the guy until he either ran out of ammo or was distracted. As luck would have it, a distraction was provided, just not in the way Chouji expected.

The girl from the dinner stumbled out, a cleaver in hand as she looked around warily, only to be grabbed from behind, a gun at her head. "Ya see this?!" the thug yelled, "I got a hostage! Get out here where I can see you!"

Chouji swore and got to his feet, his heart beating a mile a minute as he gripped the lamppost in anger. Unnoticed by the teen, a massive handprint formed, as some invisible hand gripped the post hard enough to buckle it. "Let her go," he ordered, stepping forwards in annoyance, "I'M the one you're after, she's got nothing to do with this!"

"That's right," the thug replied with a grin, "just walk towards me like a good little piggy and I'll put you outta yer misery!" He sniffed the girl's cheek, licking it disgustingly as she squirmed, "C'mon! Me and the little lady are getting lonely!"

Chouji bristled at the insult, seeing red and dashing forwards, all reason lost as his hair trigger rose up again at the man's actions. Behind him, a hazy, muscle bound arm, the hand encased in a blocky gauntlet, lashed out deflecting the bullets that the man shot at him with the sound of ricocheting metal.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" the thug roared, emptying the clip at the teens face, only for another massive hand to deflect them as Chouji's own fist rammed into his mouth sending him staggering back. Chouji grabbed the girl and rolled aside, laying her to the side as he walked over to the shaking form of the thug.

"B-BAKIMANO!" the thug whined, his face a bloody mess as he tried to ward the teen off with his depleted weapon, "TEME WA BAKIMONO!"

Chouji snorted and picked up the gun, only to crush it, the pieces floating over to the arm hovering behind him, "Bakimono?" he repeated, spitting to the side, "Least I ain't a piece of dog-shit!"

The thug thrust his arm forward, a hidden gun springing out of his sleeve, only for a massive fist to ram into his chest, smashing him into the ground and leaving a two-foot crater. The corpse fell through the floor to the sewer below, splashing into the water out of sight.

Behind Chouji, a massive figure with gauntleted hands, an armored chest plate and metallic collar was looming behind him, right arm apparently encased in the same type of metal as the lamppost, which was steadily fading away.

(Think Potemkin's gauntlets and collar, the actual Stand vaguely resembles Raoh from FOTNS)

"Dammit," the large teen cursed, "Bastard made me spill dinner…what am I gonna tell mom?" He turned, blinking, as the inaudible voice called out to him, causing him to turn to face the girl from before, who smiled and held out a hand

"You're saying you can whip up a fresh batch in no time…on the house?" Chouji asked, before grinned widely and nodding enthusiastically "Arigatou! Ano…" he prodded, trying for her name.

The girl smiled and bowed cutely, replying inaudibly yet again.

"Yotsuba Satsuki," Chouji repeated with a smile, bowing in return, "Akimichi Chouji-desu," He replied, "Yoroshku!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto panted as he bent over, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Lee stood nearby, fresh as a daisy but looking on encouragingly as his kohai got the hand of things.

'He's been at it all day,' Lee noted, 'An impressive feet for a beginner with little understanding of Hamon.' He looked up as Naruto got to his feet, walking forwards until they were an arms distance apart. "Ready?" he asked, only for Naruto to nod.

Both teens moved, their arms snapping forwards in a punch, aiming for the other's face. This time however, Naruto's eyes widened as he felt a sharp, yet small pain in his arms as his arm seemed to lengthen. 'My joints!' he realized, 'I swung my arm so fast it dislocated the joints!' The punch shot forwards, mimicking Lee's as they careened towards their respective targets, 'And keeping up the breathing not only deadens the pain, it allows you to re-attach the joints afterwards!'

Gai smiled as both teens' fists collided against their jaws, sending both of them sprawling backwards for the first time that day. "Nicely done Naruto!" he called out, walking towards them, clapping his arms, "But you still have a long way to go!"

Naruto grinned as he rubbed his bruised jaw, looking over at Lee, who was mirroring his actions as he sat up, "Finally got ya, sempai." He teased, earning a warm smile from Lee.

"That you did," Lee agreed, getting to his feet, "But don't let it go to your head, this is only the basics after all."

Naruto scoffed and waved his hands at the teen, "Warkata-tebayo," he assured him, "but you better watch out, I'm catching up to you sempai!"

Lee chuckled and ruffled the blonde's hair earning a squawk of protest that caused Gai to laugh, "Ah! Such youthful enthusiasm!" he praised, fist clenched and tears sprouting from his eyes, "You remind me of myself at your age!"

"Only with a better fashion sense, right?" Naruto teased, causing Gai to chase him around the pool, the two of them letting off ripples to keep afloat, though Naruto was struggling due to his inexperience.

'Only a matter of days and he's already well into walking on water!' Lee marveled, noting how the teen's feet sank less and less each time, 'Gai sensei was right, Naruto has phenomenal talent for the ripple technique!'

The teen sweatdropped as Naruto lost the rhythm, falling into the water with a yelp as Gai laughed his ass off. "Then again," he chuckled, shaking his head, "He still has a LONG way to go."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto sneezed, cursing himself for catching a cold as he made his way back to the apartment block. He was wearing one of Gai's old tracksuits, much to his shame, Lee's having been too tight. He silently thanked the gods his coat covered up most of the green monstrosity, before shaking himself and resuming the breathing exercises that Gai had taught him.

'Hmm?' he wondered tilting his head, 'looks like an ambulance parked outside Shikamaru's place, wonder what's up?' His eyes widened as a medic marched out, supporting a yakuza gunman with a bullet wound in his head. "SHIT!" he cursed, dashing towards the Nara home, grabbing an orderly by the sleeve, "OI! OSSAN! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!"

"Buzz off brat!" the man snapped, only to be reduced to whimper as Naruto subconsciously channeled the ripple into his hand, gripping the man's arm like a pressure vice. "AGH! SOME YAKUZA DEADBEATS ATTACKED THE HOUSE! THE KID'S WOUNDED BUT WE TOOK HIM TO THE HOSPITAL!"

"Naruto?" a tired voice called out, Nara Shikato stepping out the doorway to see what the fuss was about, "What are you doing here?"

"Nara-san!" the blonde called out, leaving the now whimpering orderly to his own devices, "Where's Shikamaru?!"

"Relax, they already took him to the hospital." The tired looking man replied, "He's been clipped on the shoulder, nothing permanent, but they needed to get him sorted for blood-loss." He blinked, pulling out a piece of paper from his back pocket, "Speaking of which, he asked me to give you this."

Naruto took the paper, blanching as the smell of blood reached his nose, opening it to discover that Shikamaru had written it in his own blood.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I'm alive. Chouji too. Thugs looking for you and anyone close to you; watch your back._

_If you die don't you dare come back to haunt me._

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It scared the life out of my wife," Shikato muttered, "Speaking of which, I need to get back to her, she's a mess right now." He paused in the doorway, eyeing the blonde carefully, "I don't blame you for what's happened Naruto," he assured the teen, "neither does my wife, though she may say otherwise at the minute. You didn't ask for this and you certainly wouldn't have put Shikamaru in danger."

As the door shut before him, Naruto gripped the letter tightly in his hands as his knuckles went white from the pressure. Then he turned, dashing off up the road; coat tails flapping behind him like outstretched wings.

'You bastards!' the enraged hurricane king hissed, teeth grinding together like tombstones. 'You picked the wrong guy to fuck around with!'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Things are heating up, and now the local yakuza are going to experience first hand how Naruto got his nickname.

Also, it would appear that Shikamaru and Chouji's stands have awoken, and Hinata's ability has been revealed, to an extent.

How will this turn out? Is some people gonna die? Tune in next time to find out!

R&R PLZ!!!!!!!

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

As I said earlier, until the users NAME their stands I won't be putting up stats for them. For those of you waiting however, there WILL be a stat at the end of this chapter, just not for a main character, and only because the user doesn't actually name it.

That said, on with the show!

* * *

Naruto no Kimyōna Bōken

Shippuden

Chapter six: Eye of the Tiger.

A Mercedes Benz drove through the night, sleek expensive and reeking of wealth, power and status. Inside, three mobsters, the boss and two escorts, were calmly on their way to the warehouse for a debriefing.

"Still no news from the teams we sent out." the Osakan mobster reported, putting away his phone as he looked at his boss in the rearview mirror, "You sure sending two each was enough boss?"

"They're children," the boss replied, "they may be associates of the 'Hurricane King', but they've left little impact on us themselves." He lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag before exhaling calmly, "They're probably just running about like rats, giving the boy's a little exercise."

The bleached Osakan grinned, only to blink as a headlight flashed before him, the shadowy form of a motorcyclist apparent behind it, "Eh?" he muttered, "What's this jackass-?" His eyes widened as the light hurtled towards them, "OH SHIT!"

The motorcycle rammed into the front of the Benz, causing the engine to erupt. The Osakan's screech was deadened by the airbag as it erupted from the steering wheel, the boss nearly choking as his seatbelt kept him from flying out of his seat. The person in the front passenger seat wasn't so lucky; he was propelled out the windshield, his head severed by the impact and rolling across the tarmac like a discarded football.

"FUCK!" the Osakan yelled, puncturing the airbag as he ripped off his damaged specs, his nose a bloody mess, "I'M GONNA BLAST THIS GUY TA HELL!"

He reached in to his jacket for a gun, only for it, and the hand holding it, to be smashed as something punched through the windshield. The bleached thug screeched again, just as a hand grabbed him by the neck and pulled him through what remained of the window into the night air.

"Yo," Naruto greeted, face a cold mask as he throttled the man, his grip like a vice, "nice night for a drive isn't it?" He then slammed the taller man onto the bonnet of the car, just as his stand rammed a piece of shrapnel into the man's shoulder, effectively nailing him there. "That hurt?" Naruto asked coldly, as the man's screams tore into the air, "Let it all out, scream, you're gonna die anyway."

"F-FUCK YOU, YOU LITTLE P-PUNK!" the thug screamed, only to receive an invisible fist in the teeth.

"Feel like talking now?" Naruto asked, "Your friends weren't so talkative, the ones at the warehouse you were driving towards." He quirked an eyebrow at the man's shocked expression, "If they're lucky, they'll live long enough to be arrested."

'Th-this kid!' the thug whimpered, desperately trying to look away from those cold blue eyes, 'He…He isn't human!'

"Who gave the order?" Naruto demanded, "I'm only asking nicely once, after that…" he flexed his hand, popping the joints, "I'm getting creative."

"I-IT WASN'T ME!" the thug whined, wetting himself in fear as tears streaked down his cheeks, "I-IT WAS THE BOSS! HE'S RIGHT-!"

BANG!!!

Naruto flinched as the side of the man's head exploded courtesy of a lead slug exiting it, just before the Benz's engine revved, causing him to step back as the boss pulled the car away. "Slimy little bastard," the blonde muttered, his stand appearing at the ready.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The boss cursed as he pulled out, the corpse on the bonnet flapping limply in the air as he tore down the road, fire from the destroyed motorbike catching the thug's sleeve and setting it alight.

'Gotta get outta here!' the man thought, sweat dripping down his forehead, 'Must get reinforcements! Not even that monster can take on an army!'

Something smashed through the rear window, ramming into his head and causing him to crash the car into a street lamp, the metal structure snapping in half and crashing onto the car. Shaking his head, the boss looked up at the dash, where the severed head of his other escort lay, the shocked eyes looking back at him.

"AIIIIEEEE!" he screamed, slamming the door open and throwing himself out onto the sidewalk, only to land in front of a pair of shoes.

"Hey," Naruto greeted, looking down at the man like he was a cockroach, "You the boss these guys were on about?" He snorted as the man blubbered incomprehensibly, "I'll take that as a yes."

Reaching down, the blonde teen dragged the fat blob off his feet, holding him up to glare into his frightened eyes like a viper, "I wanna know why you thought it would be a good idea to sic your dogs on my friends." He stated, shaking the man for emphasis, "Well? Answer me!"

"Y-you were getting to be an obstacle!" the Boss yelped, clutching feebly at the teen's fingers "Y-you had t-to be neutralized!"

"Right, and you had your boys do it while you rode around in a comfy Benz." Naruto noted, "Living the life of luxury, like whatever happened had nothing to do with you." He rammed his fist into the man's face, dislodging half his teeth and pulping his nose at the same time. "Quit your squealing, pig!" the teen barked, silencing the boss's cries with a backhand slap, "When a dog bites someone it's the master who pays the price!"

Naruto glared at the man, who whimpered silently at the ice-cold brutality radiating from those terrifying blue orbs. "Your dogs messed with my friends," he growled, "Now I'M going to mess YOU up."

"P-PLEASE!" the man begged, tears streaking down his face as he clutched feebly at the blonde's wrists, "I-I'LL GIVE YOU MONEY! WOMEN! YOU'LL NEVER SEE ME IN THIS TOWN AGAIN! I SWEAR IT!"

"There's only two things I want from you," Naruto growled, glaring at the man coldly as he brought him face to face, "First: where'd you get information on my friends?"

"He-he didn't give his name!" the boss replied, shaking his head desperately, "He was a tall guy, with silver hair!"

Naruto bristled at the mention of the silver hair, gripping the man's neck tighter in anger, "WHERE IS HE?!" he growled, ignoring as the man's piss dropped to the floor from inside his pant leg.

"E-east Konoha Gakuen!" the boss replied, looking around desperately, "I-Is that it? C-Can I go?"

Naruto glared at the wretch for a moment, before closing his eyes with a sigh. "Yeah," he muttered, "You can go…" His eyes shot open as his stand materialized, fists at the ready, "GO STRAIGHT TO HELL YOU BASTARD!"

"Mudah-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-MUDAH!!"

The mangled corpse of the boss sailed backwards, right into the wrecked frame of the Benz, just as a stray spark from the ruined lamppost ignited the gas that had pooled out from the tank.

"Fitting mode of transport," Naruto muttered wryly, watching as the smoke curled into the sky, "considering where HE'S going." He turned on his heel, one hand in his coat pocket as he glared up at the sky. "And you're next," He vowed eyes narrowing menacingly "I'm coming for you…MIZUKI!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mizuki chugged a beer as he sat with his feet on the desk, exhaling as he crushed the empty can. "This is the life." He praised, "No laws, no responsibility." He snorted, "Guess I owe that brat Naruto, if it weren't for him, I'd never have found my true calling!"

He grinned at Iruka; the man was strung up like a piñata, arms and legs bound tight as he was suspended from the ceiling. Mizuki was sitting at the headmaster's desk, several piles of garbage, beer-cans and take-out littering the floor.

"Why are you doing this?!" Iruka yelled, "This is madness Mizuki! What do you hope to gain from this?!"

"Honestly?" the madman replied, "Nothing much, this is just me kicking back and letting loose." He pulled another beer can out, popping the top and chugging it down, "AH! Nothing beats Yebisu except good sake," he sighed, holding up another can to Iruka, "Want some? Oh right, I forgot you don't drink." The former instructor then pulled something out from behind him, earning a startled cry from Iruka.

"What about you?" Mizuki asked the Barman's severed head, the dead eyes wide with shock, "You want some? Course ya do!" He poured the beer into the mouth of the severed head, even as it overflowed and spilled out, or drained down the hole in the neck. Iruka turned green and fought the urge to vomit, turning his head to the side as Mizuki chuckled insanely.

"You've no idea how refreshing this is," the former instructor stated, "you go through your whole life caged in like a tiger at a zoo, only for some idiot to leave the keys in the lock, were a well placed paw can turn them." He tossed the skull in the air like a ball, catching it as it flipped over, "Then once you get out, you see all this tasty meat just waiting for you to sink your teeth into." He leered up at Iruka, who winced as he noticed the insane gleam in his former friend's eyes.

Suddenly, Mizuki lifted his head, smirking as he got to his feet, tossing the head aside to slam against the wall, splitting it open like a ripe melon. "The guest of honor's arrived," the silver-haired psycho commented, "let's go say hello shall we?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto glared at the gates of the school, shut tight and locked as per the norm. Climbing over with the ease of long practice, he landed on the other side and eyed the courtyard, ready for anything. He flinched as the P.A system sounded, Mizuki's drawl sounding on the other end.

"_I see you decided to join us,"_ the instructor mocked _"what kept you? I was getting bored waiting for you to show up!"_

Naruto didn't deign to answer; he merely walked forwards, hands in his coat pockets. He'd changed into his regular clothes before coming, not wanting to ruin Gai's tracksuit, his bandana whipping in the sudden breeze.

"_What's wrong?"_ Mizuki taunted, _"The big bad 'Hurricane-king' has nothing to say?"_ the PA shook with the sounds of the man's snickers, _"Poor little baby!"_

'Odds are he's in the principals office,' Naruto noted, 'It has the best view of the courtyard and he's definitely hotwired the PA system.'

"_C'mon! Say something!"_ Mizuki demanded, sounding annoyed, _"No? Guess he needs some motivation, right, sensei?"_

Naruto scowled, only for his eyes to widen as something was hurled out the headmaster's window, coming to a stop halfway down the wall as the rope around it's waist stopped it's fall. "IRUKA-SENSEI!" he yelled, as the man's face became visible in the moonlight, bruised and out-cold, his back a bloody mess, "SENSEI! ANSWER ME! SENSEI!"

"So you CAN talk," Mizuki's voice called out, standing in the remains of the window, stripped to the waist save for a pair of leather pants and boots, "Had me thinking I wouldn't get any fun tonight," he raised a hand to his ear, "Now then…how about a scream?"

Naruto snarled, his pupils slitting and his hair bristling as he glared at the instructor with all the hatred he could muster. "MIZUKIIIIIIIIII!" he roared, only for the man to smile and lean back, as if it were the evening breeze.

"Ah yes, most refreshing," the psycho applauded, "such anger and emotion…just what I'd expect from a pile of trash like you."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shikamaru sighed as he was rolled into a recovery room. Despite all assurances that he was 100 fine, the damn doctors insisted he stay overnight to run some tests. "Dammit," he muttered, "They could at least given me something to read." He just knew the TVs were switched off at night, but he highly doubted that the orderlies would be willing to bring him anything but the month old magazines he'd seen in the lobby.

"Dammit," he repeated, resting his head against the uncomfortable regulation pillow that felt like a headstone, "This REALLY sucks."

"Shikamaru?" a familiar voce called out, causing him to look across to spy a surprised Chouji resting in the bed to his left, head and ribs bandaged heavily. "Fancy seeing you here." The large teen joked, wincing as his sore head throbbed, "I figured you'd be home by now."

"Doctors are worse than mothers." Shikamaru muttered, looking up at the roof, "The reason being they charge money for all the care they give you."

Chouji nodded, though he really had no reason to complain, since he HAD almost suffered a concussion, coupled with fracturing several ribs. Right now the giant teen wished he had something to munch on, but the orderlies running the night shift refused to bring him anything.

'Dammit!' he cursed, 'And Sat-chan gave me a big bag to take home too!' He grit his teeth as he recalled the orderly taking it off him, 'Bet those bastards are munching away at it right now!'

"Something wrong Chouji?" Shikamaru asked, causing the teen to look at him, "You look like someone just stole the last chip from you."

Chouji blinked, then sighed, smiling as he recalled how easily Shikamaru could calm him down with just a few words.

The lazy teen smiled in return, before sighing and resting his head on the pillow. 'Dammit,' he cursed, 'shoulda grabbed a book from my room when I had the chance.' He blinked as something landed at his side, looking down to find one of his favorite novels lying there. 'How the-?' he wondered, before noticing a pair of red eyes lurking in the shadows near his desk, "You again?" he wondered, "Did you get this?"

"Who you talking to?" Chouji asked, raising himself up to look over his friends shoulder, eyes widening as he noticed the red glow in near the floor, "What're those eyes?"

"You can see it?" Shikamaru asked, as the specter rose out of the shadow to hover beside his bed stand like some sort of protective gargoyle, "Neither of my folks or the orderlies paid it any mind."

Chouji nodded, losing his footing as he tried to get out of bed, only for a large hand to support him, the massive form hovering behind him concernedly.

"You too huh?" Shikamaru noted, eyeing the massive figure warily, "Mine showed up when I was about to buy the farm, I'm guessing the same goes for you?"

Chouji nodded, earning a moan from Shikamaru as he placed a hand over his forehead. "I knew it," the lazy teen muttered, "I knew it the moment we ran into each other in junior high." He glared at the ceiling in annoyance, "That bastard Naruto's always getting us into trouble."

"He doesn't mean to," Chouji offered, before his stomach let out a rumble, "Aw man! Haraheta!"

Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head at his friend's stomach's timing, before tilting his head slightly. "Those orderlies were getting ready to snack down on takeout when I last saw them." He muttered, before eyeing his shadowy apparition carefully, "This thing brought a book from my house several miles away…let's see if it can nab us some grub."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The orderlies of East Konoha general hospital sat laughing their asses off as they watched a late-night comedy on a plasma-screen television. Most of the hospital funds had gone into buying it, as well as sound proofing the room so no one would find out.

"Hey, pass me some more of those meat buns!" one yelled, "That porker ain't gonna be needing them!"

His colleague laughed, reaching back without looking for the bag, only for a shadowy hand to grab it, pulling it into the wall. He over-reached in his search and went keeling over backwards, one of his sneakers flying off and slamming into the screen shattering it.

"YOU MORON!" someone screamed as the lights in the room started flickering, " WHAT THE HELL'D YOU DO?!?!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is damn good stuff," Shikamaru praised, digging into a meat bun whilst Chouji slurped up a hot bowl of soup, "This girl's got talent."

"She's cute as a button too!" Chouji added, flushing as his friend eyed him out the corner of his eye, "What! She is!"

Shikamaru scoffed, opening his book where he left off as his shadow opened a soda can for him. "For once in my life," the teen muttered offhandedly, "Things are SLIGHTLY less troublesome."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto grit his teeth, blood seeping out as his gums strained under the pressure. He continued to glare up at the silver-haired loony, who was leaning against the window frame, arms crossed and smiling like Hannibal in a slaughterhouse.

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun," Mizuki teased, sneering at the teen as he shook his head dismissively, "Don't you wanna play any more?"

"Play?" Naruto snorted,smirking wryly. "Sure, let's play football." He pointed up at the man, eyes narrowed and pupils narrowed to animalistic slits, "I'll bring the foot! You bring the balls!"

"Eloquent as always," Mizuki scoffed, righting himself, "But Naruto…don't think I'm the same Mizuki you knew before."

With that, the psycho stepped forward, stepping out of the frame and out into empty air. Naruto's eyes widened as he fell, wondering if he was trying to scare him again, only for the man to twist in mid-air and land on all fours, cat-like. "Surprised?" Mizuki called out, rising to his feet slowly and fluidly, "Like I said; don't underestimate me."

He vanished, all Naruto did was blink and Mizuki vanished from sight like he'd never been there at all. 'Where is he?' the delinquent thought wildly, only for a fist to ram into his jaw, sending him sprawling across the courtyard, 'what the hell?!'

"Having fun yet?" Mizuki's voice taunted, "What's the matter you seem scared!" He cackled madly, "Scared of the dark little man?!"

'Hardly,' Naruto muttered, spitting out blood, 'but I am a little worried here, where the hell IS he?!' He eyed the surroundings carefully, looking for the slightest hint of movement, 'Gotta watch my surroundings, have to know my enemy-!'

Another fist rammed into the teen's stomach, sending him flying into a soda dispenser, the cans falling out and landing on his head. "Ow." He muttered, getting to his feet and feeling several muscles in his body rebel at their rough treatment, "THAT hurt…"

"You're grasp of the obvious is humbling," Mizuki taunted, voice echoing out from all directions, "Tell you what, how about I let you see me one more time, just for old times sakes?"

Naruto grimaced as something began to appear not ten feet away from him; his eyes widening as a seven foot, muscle-bound shadow grew before him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The beast was human in shape, but from the waist up it couldn't possibly be described as human. Thick orange fur covered the creature's pelt, rippled with stripes in a familiar tiger shaped pattern. The muscles in its arms were the size of Naruto's head; the hands large enough to clamp over it and crush it like a melon.

The face was like a humanoid cat's, Mizuki's trademark smirk and silver hair topping off the appearance, tipping the blonde off as to the creature's identity.

"I told you," Mizuki growled, smirking down at the teen superiorly, "I'm not the same man you once knew!"

"W-what the…hell are you?" Naruto spat, eyeing the were-tiger carefully as the former instructor snickered.

"Oh I'm still ME," Mizuki assured him, crouching down so that he was face to face with the blonde, "I just…EVOLVED a little, that's all."

"How…when…" Naruto gasped, wincing at the pain in his stomach, earning another snort from the beast.

"Couple of days ago," Mizuki replied, "after you humiliated me in front of the entire school," the beast growled at this, "I met an interesting person at a bar…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"You say you can help me get revenge?" Mizuki slurred, eyeing duck-arse warily, unable to make out the teen's face due to the poor lighting and alcohol, "What's the catch?"_

_"Nothing really," the figure replied, "Just raise a little mayhem here and there," he shrugged, "The type that'll make people stop and stare if you know what I mean."_

_Mizuki swayed in the wind, some distant part of his brain screaming at him to run away, the alcohol soundly clubbing it over the head and having it's way with it. "Where do I sign?" the former instructor slurred, causing the teen to flinch at the smell of his breath._

_"Just stand over there," the teen ordered, pointing at the wall, "That's it, right there…"_

_Quick as a whip, the teen pulled out a miniature crossbow, already cocked and strung, pointed it at the drunken man's chest and fired. The bolt crashed into Mizuki's chest, causing him to cry out as a charge ran through his body._

_"GYAAAARRRGGHH!" the man screamed, as the alcohol was instantly burned out of his system, bandages unraveling rapidly, "WHAT'D YOU DO TO ME YOU BRAT!" he yelled, only to blink as he realized his body didn't hurt anymore, if anything he felt stronger than ever!_

_"Successful," the figure commented, walking forward and tugging out the remains of the arrow, "Make good use of this chance, I'll be watching you."_

_Mizuki stared as the youth walked off, staring at his hands in disbelief as the door behind him opened, revealing the bartender with a bat. __"What the hell are you doing out here?!" the large man yelled, "You're screaming like a struck cat! Beat it before I club ya like one!"_

_Mizuki turned slowly, his incisors lengthening as he eyed the man's pulsing jugular, eyes becoming catlike as he lunged forwards, biting into the man's neck, all the way to the bone._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"EXTASSY!" Mizuki hissed, tilting his head back as he allowed the air to slip through his fangs, "I then dumped the body in the trash and moved in." he shrugged, the massive furry shoulders rising like dunes, "had to deal with the taste of blood in my mouth for a while but, Meh, you get used to it." He smirked as he licked his chops, nodding towards the limp form of Iruka, "Iruka-kun's blood is especially tasty," he commented, "Type A, RH Negative, a highly distinct sourness."

The psychopath grinned as the teen trembled, head lowered, assuming Naruto was too scared to even look at his opponent, before leaning in to whisper in his ear. "I can tell because the thickness and smoothness vary from type to type," he explained, "they go down differently," he closed his eyes in recollection, "and besides, Type A is, how should I put it…"

Naruto's fist lashed out, only for Mizuki to lean back, grinning ferally, "Saw that coming brat!" he mocked, "You'll need to do better than tha-OOMPH!?!"

Mizuki's taunt was cut off as Naruto's arm suddenly seemed to stretch out like some sort of elastic band, granting the teen an extra two feet in range as his fist rammed right into the beast's mouth, sending fangs flying in all direction and Mizuki sprawling backwards in shock.

"Yare-Yare-tebayo." Naruto muttered, getting to his feet as his joints popped back together, "You sure like the sound of your own voice, no matter what the hell you look like."

The teen flexed his fingers, looking down at the startled form of Mizuki, one hand in his pocket as he pointed at Mizuki's face with the other. "Got news for ya asswipe," He muttered, wind causing his coat to flap, "You aren't the only one that's changed!" He glared as Mizuki fought to get up, the man's jaw seemed to be dislocated from the blow, but was healing quickly, "You seem to have gotten used to that damn form of yours," Naruto muttered, "You're nothing more than an animal now."

The blonde stepped forwards, just as Mizuki leapt to his feet; the were-tiger snarled and rubbed his mouth, glaring at the teen in anger. "You'll pay for that!" the former instructor snarled, disappearing into thin air as he stepped backwards, "I'll slice to ribbons!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto scowled as he resumed the breathing, recalling Lee and Gai's careful instruction. 'The ripple is easily affected by fear,' he recalled, 'to fear is to lose the pattern, to maintain it you must MASTER your fear.'

He flinched as he tried to listen out for the man's footsteps, only to blink and leap to the side as something hurtled towards him, the earth shattering under an invisible blow.

'I dodged?' Naruto muttered, 'How'd I know he was coming, I can't see…' he paused, before smirking, 'I didn't rely on my eyes,' he realized, 'I was so worried about not being able to see him I forgot one of the basics Lee taught me: Know your surroundings.'

He got to his feet, reaching behind his head to untie his headband, only to retie it around his eyes.

"Giving up?" Mizuki's voice called out, his voice echoing again, "Wanna go out with style?" He cackled, "I'll finish you off in one blow!"

Naruto stood still as he continued the pattern, his breath pulsing through his body like waves. Behind him, uncalled for, he felt the spirit react accordingly, and the air seemed to scream out as something hurtled towards him. 'Everything leaves ripples!' he noted, 'Like the stone leaving ripples in the water, human's also create ripples,' he spun to backwards, dodging out of the way of an invisible fist, 'THEY MAKE RIPPLES IN THE AIR!'

"MUDAH!"

Naruto's stand lashed out, smashing its fist right into the middle of Mizuki's face, causing him to crash through one of the walls of the courtyard.

"An eye for an eye," the delinquent called out, returning his headband back to its regular position, "Isn't that the saying Mizuki-sensei?" He stepped forwards, eying the quivering mound of muscle impassively, his stand hovering behind him at the ready, "You spilt blood, that means you have to pay back blood."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"C-c'mon Naruto!" Mizuki pleaded, eyeing the blonde in horror, as the stand behind him raised a fist menacingly, "You wouldn't wanna be a murderer would ya?"

Naruto flinched at this, before lowering his head, his stand vanishing from view. Mizuki grinned and tried to raise himself out of the wall, only for Naruto to hold up a finger.

"Do you know the definition of 'murder' sensei?" the teen asked, holding up, of all things a pocket dictionary, "It says here its: 'The unlawful, premeditated killing of a human being by another.'" Smirking, blue eyes dancing in the light, Naruto pointed at the beast, "You're next words will be, 'Where'd you get that?'" he stated mockingly.

"WHERE'D YOU GET THAT!" Mizuki yelled flinching as he realized he'd walked into the blonde's trick.

"Remember when you punched me in the stomach?" Naruto asked, "Well I always carry one of these around before going into a gang fight." He gestured to a small knife wound on the cover, one of many, "Load of bastards think they're hot shit with a knife."

Tossing the book aside, Naruto walked towards the trembling beast, his stand hovering behind him, fist at the ready. "And right now," he muttered, "All I see before me is a big, dangerous animal, waiting to be put down."

"D-DON'T KILL ME!" Mizuki pleaded, holding out his hands desperately, "C-C'MON! LET'S TALK THIS OUT!"

"I don't talk to animals." Naruto muttered, before raising a finger in the air, "Actually, there is one thing I have to say to you." He glared at the man, his stand's fists coming down like wrecking balls, "and it goes something like this!"

"Mudah-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-MUDAH!!!!!!!"

Mizuki flew out through the wall, blood fountain off him as he screeched face first down the street to crash into the same fire hydrant as before, where coincidentally, the same dog from before decided his head was a far more deserving target.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto stared out at the still twitching form, before eyeing his stand's fists analytically. 'Controlling this thing is like trying to sail through a hurricane,' he noted, 'it's violent, powerful and probably a few tricks up its sleeves.' He smirked, clenching his fist, the stand doing the same as he smirked, with his spare hand in his pocket.

"Well then," he boasted, "guess I'll just have to ride through the heart and see where it takes me!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well now, that's one evil stand user down, Zeppelli-sama only knows how many more are left.

As promised, here's the stat's for Mizuki's stand, Naruto's Stats will be up next time.

Stand: Eye of the Tiger

User: Mizuki

Power: C Speed: B Range: E

Staying: A Precision: D Learning: D

1- Bound to Mizuki's body.

2- Transforms Mizuki into a were-tiger.

3- Can camouflage self to become invisible and strike from anywhere.

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

Please oh please, R&R!! Kyugan cannot write without reviews!!

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, now that the walking fur carpet's out of the picture, let's get down to business!

Stand: Hurricane Heart

User: Uzumaki Naruto

Power: A Speed: B Range: C

Staying: C Precision: C Learning: A

1- Manipulates wind, can range from long-range vacuum blades to close range tornado fists.

2- Increases the regeneration rate of the user.

3- Capable of channeling Hamon

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

For those of you wondering how the heck a stand can channel Hamon, Joseph's stand can do it, and he once described Stands as an evolved form of Hamon anyway.

Besides, Naruto's stand manipulates wind, which last I checked contained air. What is the basis of Hamon again?

Anyways, on with the show!

* * *

Naruto no Kimyōna Bōken

Shippuden

Chapter seven: Abduction.

Nara Shikaku sighed as he walked through the hospital doors alongside his wife. The love of his life had been a nervous wreck worrying about Shikamaru, so much so that she had actually resorted to ripping her hair out, before realizing the folly in this and proceeding to rip out HIS. In order to put her mind at rest, and fend off forced baldness, the head of the Nara family figured it'd be best to bring her to see the boy.

Behind the couple strode Akimichi Choza and his wife, the latter carrying a fruit basket which both fathers just KNEW was going to be confiscated, knowing better than most how the staff at the hospital worked, Shikaku having worked here as an intern himself once.

When they arrived at the desk, the Nara patriarch was shocked at the look of fear that showed on the receptionist's face when he mentioned whom they'd come to visit. The same fear was shown on the faces of several loitering orderlies, one actually running down the hallway screaming about 'red eyes'. They only managed to snag one to lead them to the boys' recovery room after having his job threatened.

"You're here to take them home, right?" said orderly asked, looking at the parents pleadingly, "There's nothing wrong with them physically but," he shivered "every time we go in, things have moved!"

"Moved?" Shikaku asked flatly "You mean they move the equipment about?" He raised an eyebrow as the man shook his head rather quickly.

"A stereo system, take out, snacks," the orderly counted off on his fingers, "things the hospital confiscates or refuses to allow in all appear in the room whenever we come in!" the distraught man explained, shivering in fear, "Even after the stuff is removed it's back as soon as we take our eyes of it!"

Choza's wife looked at her husband in concern, only for him to pat her on the arm reassuringly. Shikato merely shook his head and marched through the door, stating he'd believe it when he saw it.

Needless to say the fact the boys' room was decked out like a college student's took the man's breath away.

A stereo belted out the latest baseball results; a pile of takeout boxes lay piled messily in a bin, several burger wraps lying on the floor. Several manga, including Shonen Jump, were resting on the bedside tables, the exact same ones his wife had claimed were missing from his son's room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yo, Oyaji." Shikamaru greeted, looking up from a more recent Jump volume as Chouji put away yet another bowl of rice, "You visiting or did mom hit you too hard again?"

"Visiting," Shikaku replied calmly, steadying himself "Don't see the point though, you're obviously well enough to mouth off." The elder Nara eyed the stuff lying around with a raised eyebrow, "Care to explain all this?" he asked, to which his son merely shrugged, "Didn't think so, c'mon, the car's double parked."

Shikamaru sighed, muttering something about 'troublesome parents' before gesturing to Chouji, who nodded, inhaling the bowl and setting it on top of a pile of used ones. The teens gathered up all the comics and the stereo, before walking out the door, Chouji's mom fussing over him, asking if he had gotten enough to eat, ignoring the thirteen bowls of teriyaki threatening to fall off the nightstand.

"Naruto stopped by the day you got hurt," Shikaku commented offhandedly, earning a sharp look from his wife, who didn't like the blonde much, "He looked ready to burst a gasket when he heard what happened."

Shikamaru snorted, an image of Oni-Naruto, ogre club and all, sitting upon a burning pile of Yakuza, roaring with rage entering his thoughts. 'Knowing that hothead that isn't too far fetched,' he muttered as his shadow apparently grew a pair of eyes, leering at the trembling form of the orderlies, who spent the rest of the day looking over their shoulders, flashlights in hand.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hinata kept her head lowered as the car drove through the industrial area for what seemed to be the umpteenth time this week. Her father was attending yet another business meeting and of course he had brought her along, which meant Neji was brought along as well. The older teen was currently sitting across from her, the reason behind her lowered gaze as he refused to take his eyes off her for one second, lest she 'cause even more trouble', as he'd so delicately put it.

"This is an important meeting." Hiashi commented, catching their attention and breaking the silence "With it, Hyuuga enterprises will have gained a solid foothold into the eastern block of Konoha." He flipped through his notes, "After that, we need to make a detour, apparently some prime warehousing has become available." He eyed his daughter and nephew carefully, "Be on your best behavior."

Both teens nodded their understanding, before resuming their silence, the only noise the rumbling of the engine.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iruka moaned as he woke up in bed, feeling like he'd been put through the wringer. He sat up, wincing as his back protested, noting he was wearing his pajamas, despite having no recollection of getting changed. He would have thought more on the issue were it not for the smell of eggs wafting in from the kitchen.

"Sensei, you awake?" Naruto's voice called out, sticking his head out the kitchen door to eye the man as he opened the bedroom door, the blonde looking ridiculous in a 'kiss the cook!' apron, "Breakfasts on the way, just sit at the table."

Iruka moaned and did as he was told, wincing as some of his muscles ached in protest. 'What happened last night?' he wondered, shaking his head wearily, 'I recall following Mizuki to the warehouse…then he tied me up in the office and…' Iruka trailed off as his head throbbed, dropping the trail of thought after Naruto entered, a plate of egg and toast in each hand.

"Scrambled eggs and toast, just the way you like it." the blonde announced, setting a plate in front of the smiling instructor, "Sorry, but I helped myself to your fridge sensei."

Iruka chuckled, waving it away as he dug into the nourishing food with gusto. "You haven't lost your touch," he commented, "These eggs are superb."

"Well it's not like I can live off ramen all the time." Naruto replied with a smirk, biting into his own helping, "Can you imagine what that'd be like?"

"I can actually." Iruka replied with a smile, "You'd be a short little bastard, who got into fights because people mocked your height, as well as your looks." He added as an afterthought.

"Hmmph!" Naruto muttered, taking a bite out of his toast, "See if I make you breakfast again!" he pouted, earning a laugh from Iruka, only for the man to wince as his back muscles ached.

"Feels like I was thrown out a window," the instructor moaned, blinking as he eyed the rope burns around his wrist, "What the-? Naruto?" he asked, holding up his wrists in confusion, "Do you know what-?"

"Well I gotta get going!" Naruto announced, getting to his feet far too quickly to be seen as casual, pulling on his coat as he got to the door, "Hope you feel better sensei, Ja-na!"

"Oi! Naruto!" Iruka called out, only to sigh as the door shut behind the teen, "What happened last night?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Man," Naruto gasped, sighing as he rested the back of his head against the door to the apartment, "its great Iruka sensei can't remember anything…especially after everything Mizuki put him through." He sighed and shook his head, "But I hate having to lie about it."

Pushing off from the door, the teen walked down the steps, hands in his coat pockets as he decided to check up on his buddies, only to find them standing at the bottom of the steps waiting for him.

"Yo." Shikamaru greeted, leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he noted the arrival of his friend/headache "Figured you'd be here." He nodded up the steps, "How's sensei doing?"

"Fine," Naruto replied thumbing over his shoulder, "doesn't remember a thing either, I think it's better that way." He eyed the two, hands in his pockets, "You guys look well."

"That's a nice way of putting things," Shikamaru muttered, "considering I got shot at and Chouji run over." He looked up at the blonde's look of shock, "I told you messing with the gangs would lead to trouble."

Naruto stared at the two in shock, before lowering his head, clenching his fist at the memory of the ambulance pulling away from the Nara home, "…Sumanai…"

"Apology accepted," Shikamaru replied, causing the blonde to look up in surprise, "we knew what we were getting into when we first met you." The Nara added, "It's our fault for being worried about your ass."

"There's no reason to apologize to us," Chouji added, munching on a bag of donuts, "we CHOSE to stick by you."

Naruto eyed the two in amazement, before lowering his gaze again, a smile on his features. "…You bastards…" he chuckled, "remind me never to worry about you again."

"Noted." Shikamaru replied, pushing off the wall, "On another note, I hear you got into a fight with some up-town guys a while back."

"They've been hanging around the eastside a lot lately," Chouji commented, "Dad says a whole lot of businesses have been bought over by this one family."

"Family?" Naruto asked, earning a nod from Shikamaru, who held up the morning paper for him to read. "Hey! This guy looks like that Neji bastard!"

"That's Hyuuga Hiashi," Shikamaru explained, "President and CEO of Hyuuga industries, largest industrial chain in Konoha." He kicked a can out of the way, "Insurance, manpower, construction, transport;" he nodded at the paper, "You name it, this guy has his hands in it."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto flipped through the pages, blinking as he espied a younger looking Hinata standing next to the man, decked out in a kimono, "Here's Hinata!" he announced, flushing slightly at how adorable she looked, earning a snort from Shikamaru.

"She's his first born and the apparent heir," the lazy teen noted, "looks like there's a lot of responsibility on her shoulders." He shook his head, "You picked a hell of a girl to fall in love with."

Naruto flushed and ripped the paper in half, waving his arms like windmills, "L-LOVE?! THE HELL?!?!"

"What are you, five?" Shikamaru muttered, sighing as the teen seethed at him, "Alright, fine, it isn't love, you're just concerned."

"Damn straight," Naruto muttered flush dieing down as he shifted his collar, "Dammit Shikamaru you gotta watch what you say."

The Nara scoffed before pointing at the remains of the paper, "It mentioned he was taking a tour of the industrial area, I heard he's buying up warehouses to use as storage." He nodded at the other two, "It's such a pain, but I figured you'd want to check it out."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a few moments, before grinning and turning to face the street. "Yare-yare-tebayo," he snorted, "A heroes work is never done."

"What's that make us then?" Shikamaru muttered, falling in behind his friend, "The sidekicks?"

"More like minions." Naruto shot back, dodging out of reach and dashing off, "HA! You're a hundred years too slow to hit me!"

"Mendokuse," Shikamaru muttered, sweat dropping at the blonde's hyperactivity, "I REALLY hate morning people."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiashi nodded as he looked over the warehouse, it was exactly as it had been described, spacious, soundproofed and the security mechanisms in place were the most recent and reliable on the market. "And the previous owners aren't here because?" he asked, eyeing the salesman critically, causing the man to shuffle his feet.

"Died in a car accident," Ichigoya replied, his best sales smile on his face "Caught inside, shame really, he was an excellent source of income."

"And I'm sure his LIFE was worth quite a bit more," Hiashi retorted, not liking the man's tone.

"Y-yes of course!" the salesman replied, wringing his hands as he fought back a curse. 'Why did that dumbass have to go and get himself killed in a turf war?' He wondered scathingly, 'We had a sweet deal going here! Not even the 'hurricane-king' knew where we were!'

"Everything seems to be in order," Hiashi responded, snapping the Ichigoya out of his inner rant "Send the paperwork through to my secretary and I'll sign them immediately."

"Off course, off course!" the weasel of a man replied, bowing at the waist, "A pleasure doing business with you, Hyuuga-sama!"

Hiashi nodded coldly and turned to face the exit, where his offspring were waiting along with the retinue, Hinata standing as close to her cousin as possible, recognizing the man from the arcade. Hiashi paused briefly, turning his head to eye the man, one last time. "Ichigoya-san," the Hyuuga Patriarch called out, "This property wasn't involved in any…illegal activities was it?"

The weasel flinched, before laughing far too loudly to be seen as genial, "Illegal? My, my Hiashi-sama, what a sense of humor you have!" he slapped his knee, "Would I sell such a thing to a man like yourself?"

Hiashi eyed the man carefully, before shrugging and making his way to the exit. Ichigoya sighed, eyeing the businessman with distaste. 'Nosy little prick,' the weasel thought, 'if it weren't for your money and connections I'd kill you right here.' He leered across at Hinata, 'Who knows? I'd probably make a buck off you daughter too!'

"Oi Shikamaru!" a loud voice called out, startling everyone, "This is where those Yakuza thugs were hanging out!"

Everyone froze, Ichigoya turning pale and Hinata magenta, at the sound of the voice. Neji raised his eyebrows and Hiashi eyed the pale salesman like a hawk.

"I-I'm sure they're talking about the outside," Ichigoya weaseled, only to pale as a familiar blonde-headed horror rounded the corner in all his glory.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You sure this is the place?" Shikamaru muttered, before noting the limo parked outside the factory and the people beside it "Hey check it out."

"Hmm?" Naruto wondered, eyeing the gathered people in interest, before catching sight of Ichigoya and raising an eyebrow, "Ichigoya? You trying to rip people off again?" He looked from the sputtering salesman to Hiashi, blinking in confusion, "Hey wait…do I know you from somewhere?"

"Aho," Shikamaru muttered, coming up behind the teen, "That's Hyuuga Hiashi, you saw his picture not ten minutes ago."

"U-URUSEI!" Naruto responded, spiking out like a cat, "I got a bad memory for names and faces, alright!"

Shikamaru sighed, eyeing the surroundings warily, noting the entourage and the Hyuuga heiress between them. "Oi," he muttered, nudging the blonde in the ribs, "There she is."

Naruto blinked, turning to catch sight of the flushing heiress, breaking into a smile and waving. "Hinata-chan!" he called out, walking up with a grin, "What're you doing here?"

Abruptly, several guns were pointed at his face, the blonde blinking in surprise as several large suited men glared at him. "Step away from Hinata-sama." One muttered, cocking the hammer back, "You have until three before we open fire."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, eyeing the crowd until his eyes fell on a familiar face just beyond them. "Still hiding behind your thugs teme?" he called out, earning an aloof snort from Neji.

"Who do you think you're talking too?!" the guards yelled, moving to pistol-whip the teen, only too collapse as an invisible fist rammed into their stomachs.

"Too damn noisy," Naruto muttered, Hurricane Heart disappearing behind him as he eyed Neji with a smirk, "You'd think with all the money you have you could afford some better guards."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'So Naruto has one too.' Shikamaru noted, having seen the Stand as it had struck the thugs, 'Pretty damn powerful too, I don't envy those guards.'

He nodded to Chouji, the two of them deciding to hang back unless Naruto needed help, Chouji putting away his chips and the lazy teen leaning against the wall of the warehouse.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hinata flushed as Naruto continued to glare at her cousin, Neji returning the glare with equal intensity. She could almost FEEL the pressure building between the two, like some invisible thunderstorm looming over the horizon.

'If this keeps up they'll get into another fight.' she thought worriedly, the memory of the last time the two clashed was still raw in her mind, Naruto lying limp in the crater and Neji's blood flying through the air. 'I…I have to say something!' she thought, reaching out a hand, only for her vice to fail her. She shook herself, cleared her throat and tried again, only for another voice to intervene.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Stop this." Hiashi called out, his voice leaking absolute authority, "While this is far from being a public street, I will not abide a fight taking place in my presence." He looked to his nephew, who lowered his gaze after a moment's rebellion.

"Hai, Hiashi-sama." Neji muttered, shooting a last glare at Naruto, before backing off a step and standing beside Hinata.

Hiashi nodded, turning instead to the blonde, who was eyeing him warily. 'Spiky blonde hair,' he muttered, 'Sky blue eyes and whisker marks.' He almost snorted at the resemblance. 'The attitude is different, he's much more ballsy and unrefined, but the resemblance is definitely there.'

"Uzumaki Naruto I presume," he called out, causing the blonde to flinch, "I understand you risked your life to save my daughter."

Naruto blinked, suddenly put on the spot as he scratched the back of his head, "Ano…I really didn't…I wouldn't say I risked my life."

"Being hit by a car after pushing someone else out of the way doesn't strike me as accidental." Hiashi replied, "On behalf of the Hyuuga family, I extend my thanks to you." He looked between the blonde and Neji, before gesturing with his hand to the latter. "My nephew, Hyuuga Neji," he introduced, "I understand you know each other?"

Naruto bristled at the older teen, Neji eyeing him aloofly, his attitude obviously not having changed since their last encounter. "We've met." The blonde growled, to which Neji merely snorted.

Hiashi eyed the two carefully, before shaking his head, "I would prefer to thank you better," he admitted, "However I am on a schedule and am currently late." He turned to face Ichigoya, "Also, I do believe that I have, to coin a phrase, 'been had'."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ichigoya backpedaled, noting the look of cold hostility in the man's eyes, "C-come now Hiashi-sama!" he wheedled, "Surely you don't believe the words of a common street thug?"

"Oi," Naruto growled, looking pissed "Who you calling a thug, weasel-features?" He took a step forwards, causing the weasel of a man to retreat. "If you ain't trying to whore out schoolgirls you're trying to rip people off by selling them stuff yer old Yakuza pals dump on you."

Ichigoya choked, as the combined glares of the Hyuuga patriarch and 'hurricane king' caused him to back away.

"So this WAS Yakuza property," Hiashi noted coldly, "You thought you could divert attention away from you if I bought it." He tapped his coat button, "Fortunately, I never had any intention of purchasing this place; I merely had to get a confession out of you for the police." The Hyuuga patriarch nodded grimly at the man's look of horror, before turning on his heel, "They should arrive shortly," he noted, "I'll see myself out."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shikamaru whistled appreciatively, watching the Hyuuga elder march away with dignity and pride, having apparently crippled the man without laying so much as a finger on him.

'Hell of a guy,' the Nara applauded, 'Calm aloof, and didn't even bat an eyelid when Naruto plowed his men down either, you can't just train to do that.' He blinked at flash of metal, eyes widening as Ichigoya pulled out a pair of guns from behind his back.

"NARUTO!" he yelled out, his shadow growing a pair of red eyes as he lunged forwards.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"YOU'VE RUINED ME YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Ichigoya screamed, pointing the guns at Hiashi and Naruto, only for the blonde to leap across the floor and shove the Hyuuga elder out of the way of the bullets. The ruined yakuza lackey could have easily aimed at them in their prone position, and was in fact about to do so, but was foiled as a hand shot out of his shadow, grabbing his coat and pulling him onto his back, causing the bullets to punch holes in the ceiling.

"Wha-what the fuck!?" Ichigoya shrieked, attempting to point the guns at the recovering duo, only for his shadow to drag him across the floor slamming him into objects before dragging him up the wall to the ceiling, the guns falling from limp fingers. "AGH!" the weasel shrieked, twisting in the confines of the hand, his jacket dragging his arms up, "Get me down!"

Sure enough, the shadow released him, allowing the man to fall, screaming to the unforgiving ground below. A crate hurdled across the floor, skidding slightly, only to collapse as the man fell through it, to land moaning amongst the wreckage.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto blinked, eyeing the chaos in confusion, before turning to his friends, who were looking at him in amusement. "You guys…" he muttered, earning a snort from Shikamaru, as his shadow grew into a gargoyle like figure, sans wings, with glowing red eyes and the teen's trademark stop sign on the buckle and shoulders. Chouji nodded as a large, powerful-looking figure hovered behind him, arms crossed, having tossed the crate under the fallen man.

"Didn't think you were the only special one did you?" Shikamaru muttered thumbing at his Stand, which hovered beside the teen, wrapping around him like some sort of living cloak, "Chouji and I got ours a while a go."

"We didn't think we'd need to use them unless you got into trouble," Chouji added, "but well, He DID kinda have you by the balls there."

Naruto flinched before spiking out and yelling at them continuously, which translated, roughly into a grudging 'Thank you, next time warn a guy!' if you understood the teen, but to a stranger sounded oddly reminiscent of a foul tempered duck from a distance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'That sharp tongue,' Hiashi mused, dusting himself off as he listened to the rambling go on, 'if what I suspect is true then he's just like his mother.'

He slipped a needle into a capsule in his pocket, before topping it and nodding to Neji. "We're going," he ordered, "Again, Naruto-kun, my thanks."

Neji bowed, shooting the blonde a critical look as he turned to face the Hyuugas. 'He's stupid,' the older teen allotted, 'and certainly crass, but there's no doubt of his bravery.'

A scream cut through the air, causing the group to turn as one to see where Hinata was, or rather, where she HAD been.

"HINATA!" Naruto yelled, dashing to where the girl had been standing and looking around, "where the heck is she!"

Neji stood beside him, eyes scanning the surroundings carefully, catching a blur of motion above them, "He's on the roof!" the teen yelled, making for the fire escape, only for Naruto to dash past him.

"TEME!" the blonde roared, his stand appearing, crouching down before propelling itself and its master upwards, leaving a startled Neji in their dust, "You're not getting away, tebayo!"

Naruto landed on the roof, his stand disappearing as he blinked, seeing how barren the structure was. He looked around, completely baffled, only for a flash of movement to his right cause him to turn, resulting in the fist aimed for his ear to glaze off the side of his head, as he stumbled backwards, arms ready to block.

"Sashiburidana, Uzumaki." A confident tone called out, the owner a wild looking teen in a leather jacket and facial markings. He had Hinata over one shoulder like a sack of potatoes, albeit a valuable one, the other on his hip as he smirked at the blonde, "Remember me?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto glared at the teen, eyeing the face for a few moments, "Teme…teme wa…" he blinked, face going super-deformed with dots for eyes, "Dare da omai?

The other teen stumbled, nearly falling off the roof in his shock, legs waving erratically, "WHAT THE HELL!" he roared, "HOW THE HELL COULD YOU FORGET ME? YOU'RE GREATEST RIVAL!"

"My greatest…what?" Naruto repeated, sitting on the roof cross-legged as he closed his eyes, "Rival…rival…do I even HAVE a rival?"

"KIBA!" the irate teen roared, teeth like fangs, as he shook a fist at the blonde, "INUZUKA KIBA! WE'VE BEEN RIVALS SINCE PRESCHOOL!"

Naruto blinked, looking upwards in thought, "Kiba?" he muttered, "Why does that name sound so familiar?" He tapped his palm, "AH! I remember!" he yelled, "You're that guy that got caught peeping on the girl's swim teem by Anko-sensei!"

"Only cause YOU screwed everything up!" Kiba countered, "If you hadn't kicked the tree I was crouching in I'd never have been caught!"

Naruto tilted his head, "So it was you up there?" he wondered, "I thought it was some sort of perverted wood sprite." He shrugged, letting out a sigh of relief, "Well that's a relief!"

"THE HELL IT IS!" Kiba yelled back, pupils gone in his rage, "I WAS IN HOSPITAL FOR A MONTH AFTER WHAT THAT BITCH PUT ME THROUGH!" He pointed at the blonde, "AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU HAVE THE BALLS TO PRETEND NOT TO KNOW ME ON MY RETURN!"

"Hey! I can't help it that I forgot your name!" Naruto shot back, looking miffed and embarrassed, "I mean, I hardly know you!"

"HARDLY-?!" Kiba began, before growling and shaking it off, "Whatever, this isn't the time or the place." He scowled as the telltale signs of footsteps coming up the fire escape heralded the arrival of reinforcements, "You wanna save the princess?" he taunted, jostling Hinata gently, "Then ya gotta find us first!"

Naruto lunged forwards, Hurricane Heart appearing behind him, fists at the ready, "You really think I'm letting ya get away?!" he snarled, only to choke as a fist rammed into his stomach, forcing all the air, and a little blood, out of his body.

"Actually, yes." Kiba muttered, withdrawing his fist as Naruto staggered back, before falling off the roof holding his midriff. The wild teen seemed to pause for a moment, his face hidden, before turning around and leaping off the roof, clearing the thirteen feet between the buildings in a single leap, roof-hopping into the distance, Hinata secured over his shoulder.

"YAHOO!" Kiba yelled, eyeing the Hyuuga limo as it pulled away from the factory in his direction, "You pansy's think you can catch me in that?" He mocked; grinning ferally as his hair seemed to ruffle, despite the lack of a breeze, "You'll have ta try harder than that!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so the main plot begins. What are Kiba's reasons for kidnapping Hinata?

How was he able to do so right under the noses of Neji and Naruto?

And how will Naruto survive being thrown off a building?

Tune in next time!

Dictionary:

Teme: Bastard/jerk.

Urusei: Shut up.

Yare Yare-tebayo: Combination og Jotaro's Yare Yare Daze and Naruto's Dattebayo, the ofrmer roughly means 'gimme a break', the latter has no meanning, it#'s jsut a way of making the user seem tougher.

Dare da Omai: litteraly 'Who are you'. For references to this scene, see the first episode of Dragon Half, when Rosario first appears to the king.

Next up, Shikamaru!

R&R PLZ!!!

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, I know he hasn't technically named it yet, but since he's gonna do so right after we kick off, here's Shika-chan's stand:

Stand: Cloud-9

User: Nara Shikamaru

Power: C Speed: C Range: A

Staying: A Precision: B Learning: A

1- Can manipulate shadows to create portals or to paralyze the enemy.

2- Can increase range by using existing shadows.

3- Can pull objects into shadows.

4- Shadows can take on any shape, but is limited by total area of the original shadow.

A: Very Good. B: Good. C: Average. D: Bad. E: Poor

As I said earlier, his stand resembles the guilty gear character Eddie in his monster form (Not Zato-1's body) sorry if this sounds cheap but I always figured it was too cool to miss out.

So without further ado...LET'S ROCK! 

* * *

Naruto no Kimyōna Bōken

Shippuden

Chapter eight: Alien Ant farm.

Naruto gagged as he fell off the roof, the air rushing past whistling through his ears as he fought to breath, his vision swimming in and out of focus. 'Damn!' he thought, 'Bastard punches like a frikking sledgehammer,' he winced as a sudden pain seared through his chest, 'think he busted a few ribs there!'

The teen continued to fall, unable to right himself as he braced for a head-on collision with the ground, wondering how many times Death was going to make a move at him before the skeletal bastard was satisfied.

"CLOWDO-NINE!"

A dark hand shot out from the falling teen's shadow, grabbing him by the ankle and holding him off the ground, the tip of his spiky blonde hair just touching the concrete below.

"Way too close." Shikamaru gasped, his stand stepping out of the wall, placing the blonde on the floor gently, "Good thing my Cloud-9 can pass through shadows or you'd be street pizza."

Chouji patted the wheezing blonde on the back, just as a car door slammed shut, the Hyuuga limo peeling out of there at an accelerated pace. Naruto thought he saw a concerned look in Hiashi's eyes, before the tinted windows shut and the car shot off in pursuit of Kiba. "Dammit!" the blonde coughed, attempting to rise to his feet, refusing Chouji's offered hand, "We gotta get after him!"

"Calm down," Shikamaru muttered, as Chouji put a restraining hand on the blonde's shoulder, "We've no idea WHERE he is, and judging from the way he managed to take YOU out, this guy is strong."

"So what're you saying?" Naruto asked, his breathing returning to normal thanks to the ripple training, "We should just give up?"

"The police can handle a kidnapping Naruto," Shikamaru muttered, "Believe it or not this is what they're paid to do." He sighed as the blonde continued to drill holes into him "Alright, Alright…man you're such a pain in the…"

Shaking his head, the Nara leaned against the wall of the warehouse, holding his chin with his right hand as the left supported his elbow. "If we're going to go after this guy," he muttered "which we most likely ARE knowing you, then at the very least we need some intel, so start by telling me what you know about this guy."

Naruto frowned, putting a finger to his head as he tried to recall everything the wild man had said. "Said his name was Inuzuka Kiba," he recalled "He's the perv Anko-sensei beat up a while ago."

"That's a start," Shikamaru admitted, recalling the events in question with a wince, wondering how the hell Anko had managed to keep her job after that "So what else do you know, it sounded like he knew you pretty well." He sweatdropped as Naruto's brow furrowed on concentration, "You've forgotten all about him haven't you?"

Naruto's grin was all the answer the genius needed.

"Mendokuse."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I want a complete combing of the city," Hiashi ordered into his cell-phone, "Cancel all my appointments and set up a meeting with the chief of police."

Neji watched in amazement as his uncle carried out the orders with complete and total calm. It was as if he were arranging a faculty meeting, rather than a search party for his eldest daughter. "Don't blame yourself Neji," Hiashi commented, snapping the younger man out of his daze "none of us could have expected this."

"If Uzumaki hadn't demolished Hinata-sama's guards this never would have happened." Neji countered, shooting the men in question a chilling glare.

"True," Hiashi conceded "but then again, if a teenager can take out ten full grown men with guns pointed at his head without blinking, then perhaps a little changing of the guard is in order."

The guards winced, lowering their heads in shame and fear as Neji stared at his uncle in disbelief, "Hiashi-sama, you surely don't mean to-?"

"No," Hiashi cut in "I value my men too highly to cast them aside simply for failing in a task." he nodded reassuringly at the guards, "I'm merely considering the idea of bringing Naruto-kun into the equation. Perhaps with TWO Stand users protecting her, these attempts on Hinata will cease."

"That will not be necessary," Neji assured the man, insulted that his uncle was even considering the fact he needed help to carry out his duties, "I shall recover Hinata-sama personally, you have my word."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well this is great," Shikamaru muttered, stepping away from the door of the Inuzuka clinic, which was shut early, "Looks like they're out."

"You think they know what's going on?" Chouji asked, earning a snort from Shikamaru as he shook his head.

"I doubt it," the Nara muttered "From what my old man tells me Kiba's mom may have been a 'rebel' in her youth, but she never actually did anything like this." He snorted, waving a hand jokingly "And you can SO tell Kiba's a mama's boy, he'd never let her find out about this."

"Should you really be calling other people a mama's boy, Shika-chan?" Naruto mocked, eyeing the Nara with a grin "Last I checked your mom had you on a pretty short leash yourself."

Shikamaru flicked the finger at the teen, before shaking his head and sighing, "Listen, we'll never get anything done this way, I say we split up and gather intel on Kiba, like where he likes to hang out and stuff." He held up his watch, adjusting the timer, motioning for the others to do the same, "We'll meet back at the school in two hours, see what you can find." He looked at Chouji "And try to avoid snacking, last time we did something like this you spent so long at the udon cart you forgot the time."

Chouji nodded, Naruto tightening his headband as they split up, "Meet in front of the school gates!" the blonde yelled, "You better not be late, Shika-chan!"

"Sometimes I really wanna belt him one," the Nara muttered, sweat dropping as the blonde dashed off in a manner he'd, up till now, only associated with Lee. "Is he planning on joining the track team?" he wondered briefly, before shrugging it off and going his own way.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"OH! Naruto!" Ichiraku Ayame greeted, smiling as their no.1 customer dashed by, only to jog backwards, "You're looking busy!"

"Hiya Ayame-neechan!" the blonde greeted, still jogging on the spot, "You haven't seen a wild looking guy with red markings and a leather jacket go by have you?"

Ayame blinked for a moment, before shaking her head, "Sorry, not that I recall off the top of my head." She eyed the teen up and down, "Are you out for a jog?"

"Can't stay to talk. Nee-chan!" Naruto replied, "Gotta find that kidnapping bastard! Ja-na!"

"What? Kidnapping?!" Ayame yelped, only for Naruto to dash off, "NARUTO-KUN! WAIT A…minute…" she trailed off as the blonde disappeared in a cloud of dust, "What on earth is going on?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And that's the story," Chouji muttered between mouthfuls, "So have you seen anyone like that around Sat-chan?"

Satsuki shook her head, looking at the large teen in concern. She and Chouji had been getting along rather well since they met a few days ago. His love of good cooking and gentle demeanor had instantly appealed to her, and it didn't hurt that he reminded her of a massive teddy bear.

"No?" the massive teen replied, sighing as he lowered his bowl, "man…this isn't going too well…" He lifted his head as she smiled at him, "Eh? You're saying I should try the school? Well we ARE meeting up there anyways…" He placed some money on the table and smiled, "Arigato Sat-chan! It was great as always!" he waved a hand at her, "Don't worry, I'll be careful!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shikamaru moaned as he walked around, trying to figure out where best to look for the wild man known only as Kiba. He'd checked around the Inuzuka's neighborhood, asking neighbors if they'd seen the guy recently, or even if they knew where he hung out. This ranged from the arcade Naruto always frequented to the skate parks, where the lazy teen received a 'warm' welcome from the Inuzuka's 'Pack'

'Red Fangs eh?' the Nara noted, eyeing the group of punks before him with trepidation and annoyance, 'Kinda corny if you ask me, that the best he could come up with?'

"Look," he muttered aloud, holding up his hands "I'm not here looking for trouble, all I'm asking is if you guys have seen Kiba around."

"The hell should we tell you, baldy?" one teen sneered, earning a round of snickers form the others, as they eyed the Nara's widow's peak, "We don't rat out on the pack."

"Mendokuse," Shikamaru muttered, scowling at them in annoyance, "Look, simple question, HAVE. YOU. SEEN. HIM?" He shrugged his shoulders, "To hard for you? I could write it out if you want."

"YOU'RE DEAD!" the thugs yelled, ramming their fist at the Nara's face only to yelp as they collided with concrete, their target having disappeared.

"You should be more careful," Shikamaru advised, rising out of a shadow behind the teens "Broken hands take a lot longer to heal than any other part of the body."

"H-how'd you…?" one of the thugs muttered, before blinking, "Y-you! You're just like the boss!"

Shikamaru frowned, "What do you mean?" he asked, "You're saying Kiba can do weird things too?"

"Shut your mouth!" another thug yelled, elbowing the first in the ribs, "We don't rat on the pack, and Kiba's top dog around here!" He spat at the Nara, "I don't care how freaky your ass is, we ain't the kinda dogs that turn their backs on their friends!"

Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head in resignation, "Mendokuse…that kidnapping bastard has some pretty loyal friends."

"What you say?" another thug, clearly the brains, muttered with a frown, "Kidnapping? What the hell are you on about?"

"You mean you don't know?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow, "Your friend's only gone and kidnapped some uptown girl in order to fight with my pal Naruto."

"NARUTO!?" the hyperactive punk yelped, "AS IN THE 'HURRICANE KING' NARUTO? THAT NARUTO?!"

"HUSH UP!" the lead punk muttered, before eyeing the Nara carefully, "I think you better tell us the story from the beginning."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hinata woke up to find herself strapped to a chair in a small, deserted building. There were bushes outside, and judging from the sound of laughter it was probably in the middle of the park. 'How did I get here?' she wondered, wincing at the gag around her mouth, 'what do they want with-?'

"You awake?" a voice called out, causing her to turn her head to espy the form of Kiba leaning against the wall, looking straight at her, "You've been asleep for about an hour there…sorry about all this but I can't have you running away."

He stood up, standing in front of her, his hands on his hips, "I'm gonna remove the gag now, so don't scream got it?" he reached out a hand "Hitting girls ain't my thing, but I can't have you calling for help."

Hinata winced as the teen pulled the gag down shaking her head to rid herself of the taste of the fabric, "You thirsty?" Kiba asked, holding up a bottle of water, pouring some into a flask cup and holding it to her lips. The Hyuuga heiress gulped the cool liquid down gratefully, before eyeing her captor warily.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, feeling oddly calm, all things considered "If it's money, you should know my father isn't one to buckle under threats."

"Money's cool, but kidnapping people for it ain't on my agenda." Kiba muttered, waving a hand dismissively, "And you don't need to worry about your virtue none, I ain't after that either." He clenched his fist and grinned ferally, "What I want…is HIM!"

Hinata blinked as the teen seemed to tremble with excitement his canines appearing to lengthen, before checking himself and calming down.

"Gotta hand it to that blonde bastard." Kiba muttered, eyeing her up and down, "He may have a lousy memory but he's got damn good taste in women." He snorted and shrugged mockingly, "Dunno what you see in him miss but I'll tell ya right now, he's as thick as a brick."

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, looking at the teen in confusion as he nodded, "Ano…how do you know Naruto-kun?"

"Simple," Kiba muttered, kneeling down across from her with a sigh, "he's my rival." He snorted at the look of confusion on her face, "Since we first started preschool together, the two of us have been butting heads like wild bulls. We'd beat the shi-err" he stumbled over his words as he looked at her, "Rough each other up almost every day, compete against each other in virtually every field." He held up his hand to count, "Track, wrestling, sumo, heck we even tried competing for the 'Prankster King' title, only for that idiot to nail it by covering the entire front of North Konoha Gakuen in graffiti in one night!"

Hinata's eyes widened, remembering that day rather well, as it had caused quite a bit of distress, for the staff, at the sight of their precious academy looking like something out of a hip-hop video.

"Not that the bastard remembers," Kiba muttered with a scowl, "He's got a memory like a frigging sieve, if it don't include ramen or those stupid gashapon capsules he's got no interest."

Hinata looked at the teen in confusion as he ranted on about how 'thickheaded that bastard was' wondering to herself if it was some form of jealousy that was driving the teen.

"Anyways," Kiba muttered, calming down, "He seems pretty interested in you, so I'm using you as bait to draw him out."

"Wh-what are you going to do to him?" Hinata asked, wincing as the teen grinned ferally again, clenching a fist tightly.

"Finish things once and for all," Kiba replied, "We'll see who the top dog in Konoha REALLY is!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So THAT'S what's going on," Shikamaru muttered, having listened to Kiba's pack's story, "so this is just one drawn out pissing competition between two idiots."

"HEY!" the loud punk yelled, "WHO YOU CALLIN' AN IDIOT!?"

The apparent leader of the pack shook his head, silencing the louder punk by slapping him upside the head, "That's the way things are," he admitted "you're saying Kiba's kidnapped some dame to get Uzumaki to come out?"

"That's the way it seems," the Nara replied, "He did it down at the old warehouse district, even tossed my pal off a roof."

"DAYUM!" the loud punk winced, "THAT DON'T SOUND LIKE THE BOSS AT ALL!"

The quiet punk nodded, turning to the Nara authoritatively, "Kiba's a hothead, but he's not the type to kill someone just for pissing him off." He shrugged, "But ever since THAT guy showed up…" he shivered, "I knew that little prick was trouble…"

"Hold up," Shikamaru cut in, "Is there another party involved?"

The punk clammed up, shaking his head "I said WAY too much already," he muttered "Any more and my cred's in the gutter." He turned his back on the Nara, "We'll keep an eye out for Kiba, but we AIN'T turning him over ta the cops."

"FUCKING PIGS!" the loud punk added, only to receive another blow upside the head, the group skating away from the exhausted Nara.

"So there's someone else involved," the Nara noted, "interesting."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a rather defeated looking group that gathered before the gates of East Konoha Gakuen, Naruto and Chouji having found no leads at all. Shikamaru's unveiling of a third party only complicated matters further.

"Calm down," the Nara assured the irate blonde, after watching him ram his head against the gate a few times "from what his gang told me Kiba won't hurt Hinata in any way, so there's little to worry about on that front." He sighed, shaking his head, "On the other hand, the fact a third party is involved only complicates matters further, for all we know he hired Kiba to kidnap her."

"Still," Naruto muttered, "going this far just to challenge me?" he shook his head, "From what little I remember of dog-breath he isn't the type to take hostages."

"The problem," Chouji muttered between chips "is that since he's been gone so long, we know next to nothing about him."

"And then there's the fact he cleared a rooftop in a single leap," Shikamaru added grimly "If that isn't a sign of stand ability then I don't know what is."

Naruto moaned and gripped his head in his hands, "DARRRGH! WHY COULDN'T THE FLEA-BITTEN BASTARD JUST CHALLENGE ME LIKE A NORMAL IDIOT?!"

"Naruto-kun?" a familiar voice called out, causing the trio to turn to take in the confused form of Lee, dressed in his usual green tracksuit, "That's odd, I didn't know you had club activities."

"I don't." Naruto replied simply "We just decided to meet up here to discuss…" he blinked, before eyeing the older teen hopefully "Sempai, have you seen a wild man named Kiba running around recently?"

"Kiba-kun?" the older teen replied, blinking in confusion "The youthful fellow who used to fight with you at break over the last noodle bread?"

"That was him?" Naruto muttered, dimly recalling the fight with a flinch "I thought he looked familiar…" he shook himself and looked at the older teen, "DARGH! Forget that! Have you seen him?!"

"Why?" Lee asked, looking between the trio in confusion "What's going on?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I see," Lee muttered, hand on his chin as he nodded to Shikamaru's recounting, "That does indeed sound strange."

"So have you seen or heard anything?" Shikamaru asked, "We've turned up all the usual stones and struck zilch, PLEASE tell me you have some clue."

Lee shook his head apologetically, "Sorry, but I'm afraid I've been busy with track and training Naruto-kun," he replied, nodding to the teen, "I was supposed to tell you lessons were on for this afternoon, but I'm guessing we'll be missing them."

"You mean you're gonna help us sempai?" Naruto asked hopefully, earning a nod from the teen, "YATTA! Now we can cover more area!"

"While that IS true," Lee cut in, calming the blonde down, "I was thinking of asking a friend for help." He smiled at the trio, "You see, his Stand is well suited for this type of situation."

"Another stand user?" Shikamaru wondered, quirking an eyebrow in interest, before shaking his head, "Mendokuse…they're popping up all over the place."

"I've known this guy for a while now," Lee explained, as he walked through the gate "He's not very sociable, and quite frankly doesn't care for people much, but there's little that goes on in East Konoha he doesn't know about."

"So where is he?" Naruto asked eager to get the quest underway, "C'mon sempai! We gotta find Hinata-chan!"

"Patience Naruto-kun," Lee said calmingly, "Let me finish my track run and I'll take you right to him, he's busy around this time as well, so he won't speak to us even if we DID go straight to him."

"He's a member of this school too?" Chouji asked, earning a nod from the older teen, "Anyone we know?"

"Possibly," Lee admitted with a smile, eyeing the trio carefully "he IS in your year."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mendokuse," Shikamaru muttered, staring at the walls of the corridor in annoyance, "It's spring break and I'm stuck inside school, have I told you how much I hate you Naruto?"

"I love you too Shika-chan," Naruto shot back, dodging a swipe from the teen, before turning his attention to Lee "So Sempai, you known this guy long?"

"We met not long after I transferred here," Lee replied "I encountered his stand and we got to talking." He nodded at the trio, shrugging slightly "He's not the most…talkative of people, but he knows a lot more than he lets on."

They continued in silence, save for the sound of munching chips and footsteps, until reaching a door with the words, 'Insect Club' across the doorframe.

"One of THESE guys is a stand user?" Naruto muttered, looking disgusted, "Ugh, I don't even wanna THINK about what this guys stand looks like."

"If I see a giant cockroach with a bad temper I'm callin' Will Smith" Chouji muttered, hiding his chips where they couldn't be seen with a shudder "Seriously, I HATE bugs."

"Oh grow up," Shikamaru muttered, though on the inside he was a little grossed out, "If he can tell us where this bastard is I'll put up with anything."

Lee nodded, before knocking on the door of the clubroom, a quiet 'enter' allowing him to open the door further. The room was a renovated science lab, rows of pinned insects and live specimens running around in specially designed exhibits.

"Lee sempai," a quiet voice called out, "And three others…"

The group turned as one to a lone figure in a school uniform, complete with coat, the collar turned up to hide the face. He wore a cold mask over his face and his hair was set in bizarre dreads. A pair of thick, dark glasses covered his face, and he was holding a magnifying glass over a pair of tweezers, which held a twitching beetle captive.

"Uzumaki Naruto, age fifteen, going on 6'3 feet." The figure noted, not looking away from his specimen, "Orphan living alone, formerly boarded with Umino Iruka, currently most feared adversary of the mafia elements infecting Konoha, developed stand powers two weeks prior to spring break."

Naruto blinked, looking to Lee questioningly, only for the older teen to shake his head in denial. 'If Lee sempai didn't say anything,' the blonde wondered, eyeing the figure at the desk warily 'then how'd this guy know all that?'

"Akimichi Chouji," the teen continued, "age fifteen, going on 6'4feet, currently living with parents who run a snack shop, gained Stand powers after an attempted mafia murder. Currently in a relationship with Yotsuba Satsuki from Mahora Gakuen."

Chouji blushed as the other three turned to look at him, Naruto's eyes telling the teen he was in for some ribbing later, only for the silent teen to speak up again.

"Nara Shikamaru, aged fifteen, going on 6ft, with an extra two inches if you count the ponytail." He set the beetle into a tray, before placing said tray in a case, "Lives with parents who run local pharmacy, is pressured to succeed as a result. Gained Stand powers after attempted mafia murder and is incredibly lazy."

The teen looked up at last, eyeing the trio and Lee from behind those incredibly dark spectacles. "Aburame Shino," he greeted, bowing his head slightly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"As I said before, I met Shino-kun shortly after transferring," Lee explained to the rather disturbed looking trio, "He's not the type to talk much about anything, but he's got a way of finding things out."

"So it would seem," Shikamaru muttered, eyeing the Aburame curiously "I'm guessing your stand is the secret behind your knowledge?" Shino didn't reply, causing the Nara to sweatdrop, "Mendokuse…you really aren't talkative."

"My apologies," Shino replied, "but I find that interacting with people can be…tedious, so I prefer to avoid it as much as possible."

"Unsociable bastard." Naruto muttered, staring at the back of the Aburame's head with a shiver.

"I heard that," Shino pointed out, causing the blonde to jump, "and I don't really care what you think of my social habits." He turned to Lee, "I understand you want information concerning Inuzuka Kiba's whereabouts?"

Lee nodded, ignoring the look of shock on the trio's faces as their jaws hit the ground "He disappeared with a hostage in tow, challenging Naruto-kun to get her back." He nodded towards the blonde "We believe he won't hurt her, but since a third party is involved…"

"You are concerned that THEIR intentions are not so inclined." Shino finished, earning a nod from the older teen, "You understand that my assistance will not come without a price?"

"The hell?" Naruto called out, "We have to PAY? We're trying to rescue someone and you're making a profit out of it?!"

"Do not mistake me," Shino assured the blonde "I have no intention of charging you money, let's just say you all owe me a favor."

"That all?" Naruto asked, exhaling with relief, "Fine then, Uzumaki Naruto always keeps his word!" He grabbed Chouji and Shikamaru by their collars, the duo trying to unsuccessfully sneak away before their friend could rope them in, "These guys too."

"Oi!" Shikamaru yelped, swiping at the blonde, "Don't go making promises for other people!"

"It's done then," Shino deadpanned, ignoring the irate look on the Nara's face, "I shall contact you in an hour with my findings."

"C'mon," Shikamaru snorted "your stand may be suited for reconnaissance and the like, but I highly doubt it can cover an entire city in just an hour."

"Nothing is impossible." Shino replied solemnly, a low droning filling the air, the trio stepping back in horror as a massive swarm of insects flew out of his sleeves, "Especially where my Alien Ant Farm is concerned."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's getting pretty late," Kiba muttered, staring out at the sky "wonder if 'ramen for brains' managed to find a clue." He turned to the bound Hyuuga, frowning slightly as he noticed her distress, "Would you relax already?" he muttered, "The second the bastard gets here, you're free to go."

"That isn't what we agreed, Inuzuka." A voice called out, causing the teen to whip around to face a raven-haired teen leaning against the wall, "In fact, that actually negates our deal."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kiba snarled, hackles rising as he eyed the teen warily "I told you, no Naruto and the deals off!"

"Relax Inuzuka," the figure droned, holding up a hand "I'm just here to remind you of our bargain."

Kiba growled, looking from the shadowy figure to Hinata, who was looking panicked, "What d'ya want with her anyways?" he asked, "This better not be some sortta prostitution scam!"

"I assure you," the teen muttered, sounding disgusted, "that selling the Hyuuga girl is the FURTHEST thing from my intentions…and before you get technical I am NOT interested in her in THAT way either."

'That voice,' Hinata wondered, staring at the shadowy teen in confusion, 'where have I heard that voice before?'

"Eh?" Kiba wondered, darting a hand out to the side to catch something between his fingers, "The hell kinda bug is this?" he wondered, staring at the oddly designed insect as it buzzed angrily at him.

"Leave it," the figure muttered, "it is of little consequence." He stepped back turning to eye the Inuzuka, "Remember, win or lose, the Hyuuga comes with me."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You think he's dead?" Naruto wondered, leaning down to look into Shino's spectacles. The stoic teen had ceased talking altogether, with the exception of the odd buzzing noise and random twitching of the facial muscles. "Wonder why he wears these things…" the blonde stated, reaching for the teen's glasses. A second later he was wincing as a surprising strong grip threatened to snap his wrist in two.

"DON'T" Shino muttered "EVER, touch the glasses." He released the blonde, just as the swarm of insects returned, retreating up his sleeves like hornets returning to the nest. "Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata are in Konoha general park, in a small, dilapidated building hidden off from the main path." He nodded to a stunned Shikamaru, "As you hypothesized, a third party was involved, but I could not identify him."

The Nara whistled, "You weren't kidding," he muttered, "How'd you do it?"

"My Alien Ant Farm is a mass bodied stand," Shino explained, "However, it operates like a hive mind, meaning it responds to my orders." He held up a finger, a sole insect landing on it, wings trilling, "It can track people by scent, and its sense of hearing enables it to use a type of sonar to pick up sounds."

"No wonder you knew so much about us," Chouji deduced, "You had one of those things covering everyone in school!"

"I like to stay on top of things." Shino responded, "So when Mizuki sensei was fired, I decided to keep an eye on his activities and things grew from there." He nodded at the bug, which flew over to hover in front of Naruto, "My stand will lead you to where you need to go," the stoic teen stated, turning back to his collection, "now if you don't mind…please shut the door on your way out."

Naruto grinned, charging towards the doorway, followed by the bug and his friends, "Arigato Shino!" he yelled out, "I owe you one!"

Shino waited until the sound of footsteps faded away, before pulling out a notebook and beginning to write in it. "A most interesting group of people." The Aburame noted, "Perhaps things will become more interesting around here."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Short, I know, but neccessary to get the story moving. Shino's stand may not seem very original, but if you think about it, it's not all that different from Fatty's harvest, so I figured there wasn't much point in changing it.

Also, for those who didn't get the reference, Cloud 9 refers to the song by Puddle of Mudd.

As a bonus, here's the stats for Shino's stand:

Stand: Alien Ant Farm

User: Aburame Shino

Power: D Speed: C Range: A

Staying: A Precision: B Learning: C

1- Takes the form of millions of miniature beetles to perform reconnaissance.

2- Remote controlled, so it can be used at long range.

3- Parasite bugs can drain opponents of their vitality or inject with fluids.

4- Can track targets over vast distances.

5- Can create a physical form out of bugs, but sacrifices range to do so.

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

Please, for the love of all things manga, Read and Review!

THEY won't let me leave without reviews!

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Finally...Reviews!

Sadly, you'll have to wait for the end of this chappie to get any stats, since I've already done Shino-kun's.

Cruel, I know, but finally, after weeks (or is it months?) of build up, the fight between Kiba and Naruto has begun!

I'd ask you to place your bets...but you know these fights are rigged right?

HEAVEN OR HELL?

LET'S RAWK!

* * *

Chapter nine: Battle in the park.

"Still no news?" Hiashi asked, marching out of the Konoha Police station and eyeing his nephew. The younger man shook his head, earning a sigh from his uncle, "It cannot be helped then, the police are obviously incompetent if they cannot even locate a teenager." He walked towards the car, getting in alongside Neji as the chauffer pulled away, "Perhaps we should enquire into Naruto-kun's activities." The elder Hyuuga commented, earning a look from his nephew.

"What makes you think that…" Neji paused briefly "that YANKEE has found any better leads than the police, or even our own search efforts?"

"Call it a hunch," Hiashi muttered, recalling a certain OTHER blonde he knew, "A rather…EDUCATED hunch."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kiba growled deep in his throat as he eyed his watch, the sun having set an hour ago, the streetlights outside flickering on, "Shit," he muttered, "don't tell me he actually DIED falling off the roof…"

"KIBA!" a loud, obnoxious voice bellowed, actually casing the dirt to fall from the ceiling, "GET YOUR KIDNAPPING ASS OUT HERE TEME!"

The teen blinked, before grinning ferally and walking over to his hostage. He waved his arm once and the bindings fell, earning a gasp from the girl. "Just stay close and don't try anything funny," he warned, "I don't like hitting women, but if I have to knock you out again I will."

Hinata nodded, wincing at the teen locked one of her arms behind her back, only to suddenly spin inwards, using his own center of gravity to hurl him over her shoulder.

"THE HELL?!?!" Kiba yelped, as the female Hyuuga dashed out the doorway, "WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME SHE KNEW FREAKING JUDO?!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I have to get to Naruto-kun!' Hinata thought, dashing through the trees in desperation, 'I can't let him get hurt again!'

"Most impressive," a familiar voice called out, causing her to stop as the shadowy teen from earlier stepped out from behind a tree, "you wouldn't think a gentle soul like yourself would know any martial arts, even for self-defense."

Hinata flinched, before moving into a basic Ba Gua Zhang stance, so as to better use the teen's force against him, only for the figure to chuckle. "Come now Hyuuga," he stated, coming into her range of vision, "Is that anyway to act in front of a classmate?"

Hinata blinked, taking in the tall, handsome features of the teen dressed in a North Konoha Gakuen uniform, his raven-haired locks reminding her of some sort of bird. "Uchiha…Sasuke-san?" she wondered aloud, utterly confused as the teen clapped his approval, "I…I don't-"

"Understand?" Sasuke finished, shaking his head, "Well why would you, it's not like kidnapping's a common thing nowadays." He shrugged, "That said, I must admit you handled things with Inuzuka rather well, guess idiots are idiots even if they ARE Stand users."

Hinata blinked, staring at the Uchiha in shock, "Kiba-san…is a Stand user?" she wondered, "And Uchiha-san, you know about Stands?"

"Quite well," Sasuke replied with a nod, "enough to know you possess a stand as well, quite a powerful one at that." He sighed and shook his head, "Such a shame you lack the drive to summon it at a whim." He locked gazes with her, "But then I suppose that's to my advantage."

Hinata shivered, moving into a better stance as he stepped forwards, "Don't come near me!" She warned, "I don't want to hurt you Uchiha-san but I-!"

There was a flash of fire, and the girl's clothes disintegrated, the shock bringing her to her knees as she feebly tried to cover herself. "I detest unnecessary violence," Sasuke's voice called out, causing her to look up into a pair of red eyes with spinning black tomoes, "So I'll have you sleep for now."

Hinata tried to look away, only to fall limply onto the grass, out cold.

'Naruto…kun…'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto shivered as a sudden jolt went through him, looking round in concern as Shino's stand paused next to him, "Hinata?" he wondered aloud, looking around desperately for the girl, "Hinata?!"

"What's up?" Shikamaru muttered, coming up behind the teen with the others, "You see something?"

Naruto shook his head, "I thought I heard Hinata a moment ago." He muttered, looking around "But…that CAN'T be right."

"Maybe we should split up?" Lee suggested, "With more people we can cover a wider area."

At that moment all the lights flashed on, revealing them to be on the football pitch of the park. "OI, UZUMAKI!" Kiba called out, standing atop one of the goalposts, "About time you got here!"

Naruto growled and stepped forward, "Yaro-!" he growled, "Where's Hinata?!"

"Keep yer shirt on!" Kiba barked back, thumbing towards the woods, "She ran off into the park somewhere, you can pick her up later." He leered down at the blonde, "We got business to take care of!"

Naruto growled and went to step forward, only for Lee to place a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto-kun," the older teen whispered, "it would be best if we stuck to original plan." He eyed the wild looking teen carefully, "While I understand your desire to punish this guy, finding Hinata has priority, and there's no sign of the other kidnapper."

Naruto bristled, not liking the idea of backing down in the slightest, but concern for Hinata won over his desire to pound Kiba's skull in. "Warkata-tebayo." He muttered, shooting a glare at Kiba, before turning on his heel.

"Hey!" Kiba yelled, glaring at the blonde as he turned his back on him, "Th' hell d'ya think YOUR going?!" he stamped on the bars, "We got us a fight to settle!"

"I don't play with strays," Naruto shot back, glaring over his shoulder "especially not with wild mutts that uses hostages." He spat at the teen, before turning his back on him, "I'll deal with you after I check on Hinata, so sit right there, WAN-CHAN."

Kiba bristled, the blonde's attitude and the nickname having set off a time bomb in the feral teen's mind. "You…" he muttered, trembling in anger as his nails dug into his palms, "YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!"

Naruto flinched, before shoving Lee out of the way and diving to the side, several cuts raining up his arm, stopping short of the sleeve. 'Fast!' the blonde wondered, 'Way faster than Mizuki-sensei!' He eyed the shadowy form as it appeared through the dust, "So that's your stand ability."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Standing where Kiba should have been was a large, werewolf type creature, the feet elongated and jointed at the pads. Kiba had shed his jacket, revealing he wore a type of mesh shirt that was straining against tight, enhanced muscles. His hands had grown and developed a set of razor-sharp claws, his hair bursting out behind him in veritable mane of red tipped white hair.

As with Mizuki, the face was still mostly Kiba's, but the teen's markings were now more menacing, and he now supported a pair of wolf-like ears at the sides of his head.

(Imagine Kotaro Inugami from Negima, only with Kiba's facial markings and clothing)

"You Bastard!" Kiba snarled, hunched over in anger as he glared ferally at the blonde, "You think you can just walk out of here like that!?" He lunged forwards, raking his claws at Naruto's flank, only for the teen to sidestep, resulting in a tree being slashed up instead.

"You're next!" Kiba yelled, clenching his clawed fist at Naruto, "I'll rip you to shreds!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"JEEZUS!" Shikamaru yelped, falling on his ass in shock at the sight of the lycanthropic teen's attack "THAT'S KIBA?!"

"It would appear so," Lee commented, "I heard rumours that certain Stands are bound to their user's body, meaning they can affect the user's body in a number of ways." He nodded at the other two, "Mizuki-sensei possessed a similar Stand, from what Naruto tells me."

Chouji looked between the two combatants, concern for Naruto and fear of Kiba's appearance battling within him, before Lee set a hand on his shoulder, "We cannot worry about them now, our first Priority is to locate Hinata-san." He nodded toward the combatants, "Naruto-kun can take care of himself; he's fought this type of stand before after all."

"Lee's right," Shikamaru muttered, his stand appearing behind him as he got to his feet, "Besides, my Cloud-9's better suited for reconnaissance anyways."

The gargoyle-like creature sank into a shadow and disappeared, leaving the Nara on his own, "Let's split up," he ordered, "Chouji, you take Shino's bug, since your stand isn't a reconnaissance type."

Lee nodded, before holding up a hand and shooting out a trail of bandages, which wrapped around the wrists of the other two. "So we can find our way back," he explained, before dashing off into the undergrowth, Shikamaru and Chouji following suit.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Yare-yare-tebayo,' Naruto muttered, eyeing the lycanthrope carefully, 'First a tiger and now a wolf?' He shook his head, ruffling his hair in annoyance, 'What's next? A hundred story Kitsune with a bad temper?'

"I hope you don't think I'm anything like that poser Mizuki!" Kiba called out, pointing at the blonde with one clawed finger, "That bastard liked to skulk around in the shadows, I take my enemies head on!"

"Glad to hear it," Naruto replied with a smirk "If all you damn lycanthropes fought the same I'd get bored."

"Teme!" Kiba growled, before appearing behind the blonde, claws aimed directly at his jugular, "Don't go underestimating me!"

"MUDAH!"

Kiba soared backwards; head tilted to the side from the force of Hurricane Heart's fist. He ploughed into the pitch and continued backwards, before flipping to all fours and dragging his claws in, leaving trenches in the ground.

"Not bad," Naruto muttered, his stand hovering behind him, "Most people go down for the count after a blow like that to the jaw."

Kiba spat, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, the taste of his own blood exciting him. "I told you," he mocked, "Don't underestimate me!"

The lycanthrope blurred into motion, seemingly apparating to Naruto's right, only to strike from the left as Hurricane Heart swung into motion. Naruto winced as his flank was swiped, leaving trails of blood, the lycan blurring away again.

'Kuso!' the blonde winced, 'Bastard's ten times stronger than Mizuki,' he noted, 'And this speed…is he faster than Sempai?'

"Doushta, Uzumaki?!" Kiba yelled out, circling around the teen, "Lost for words? Ready to piss your pants? Pray to God? How about begging for mercy?" He leaped upwards, coming down on the teen whilst his afterimages attacked from the sides, "OUWARI-DA!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto stood in the middle of the barrage, eyeing the incoming wall of fangs and claws with an air of calm, before exhaling. "Yare-yare-tebayo," he muttered, "you really are serious, aren't you?" He cricked his neck joints, "Guess I'd better do the same."

The teen inhaled, his chest seeming to expand outwards as his lungs filled. As the blood surged throughout his body a slight ripple shot through the grass, causing it to bend away from him as if a wind were blowing. His eyesight sharpened to the point he could note the faint blurring around the edges of all but one of the attackers, the one coming from above. "THERE YOU ARE!" He roared, leaping up to meet the attack head on, surprising the lycanthrope with how high he could jump as his stand went into motion.

"Mudah-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-muda-MUDAH!!!!!!!"

Kiba went sailing for the second time that night, landing on all fours again as Naruto touched down, barely bending his knees from the leap. 'B-Bakana!' the Inuzuka wondered aloud, 'I had to be at least six feet above him! He barely bent for that leap but managed to reach me in mid-air!'

"Naruto…" he muttered, blood running down his face as he stared at his opponent, "What ARE you?!"

"Your worst fucking nightmare," Naruto responded, coat flapping around him in the breeze as he walked towards the lycanthrope, "and guess what…we're just getting started."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shikamaru cursed as he navigated through the woods, looking for a sign of Hinata. He cursed his negligence in bringing a flashlight, but when Naruto and Lee started running he just knew there wouldn't be time to dash home for one, endure lecture about staying out late and try to find the idiots in the dark.

"Mendokuse," he muttered, as a pair of red eyes blinked at him from within the hollow of a tree "At least this darkness gives me more area to cover." He blinked as the smell of burnt leaves caught his nose, leading him to a small clearing, where a few embers were still burning.

"Someone forget to put out their ashes?" the Nara wondered, stamping on a smoldering piece, only to blink as something caught his attention. "Isn't this…" he wondered, lifting the fabric up, a sole button hanging from it, "Don't tell me…!" he looked around, spotting the fabric from a skirt here, a smoldering shoe heel and, to his embarrassment, the surprisingly complete right half of a bra, slightly scorched.

'A D-cup?' he wondered bleatingly, before shaking his head in admonishment as he fought down the images, 'Dammit! This isn't the time!' He reached down to the remains, fighting down a flush as he looked for a name, finding the remains on the back strap.

"Hyu…Hin…" the Nara muttered, shaking his head is disbelief, "Mendokuse…better let sempai know."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lee was dashing through the woods, crying out for Hinata at random intervals. His bandages had positioned themselves behind him, and were unraveling unhindered as he made his way through the woods.

"Hinata-san!" the teen called out, only to blink as a red-eyed gargoyle head rose out of the shadows before him, "AHA! SO THE ENEMY IS A STAND USER!" He leapt forward, the upper body of Kung-fu Generation forming, fists at the ready, "PREPARE YOURSELF!"

"_MATTE!"_ the shadow-creature yelled, using Shikamaru's voice as it attempted to shield itself, _"It's me Sempai! I'm using my stand to talk to you!"_

Lee blinked, looking oddly disappointed as his stand's fist halted a hair's breadth from Cloud-9's face. "Shikamaru-kun?" he wondered, "Did you find something?"

The gargoyle sighed, before nodding, _"Hai, follow your bandages back to me…I already let Chouji know and he's on his way."_ The red eyes locked onto the older teen, looking troubled, "_This isn't good Sempai…I think the third party got her."_

Lee sighed and shook his head, "Alright," he replied, "I'll meet up with you in a few seconds!"

With that the two left, Cloud-9 sinking back into the shadows, and Lee dashing towards the lazy teen as fast as he could.

'Naruto-kun,' he thought worriedly, 'how badly is he going to take this?'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto dodged to the side, using the ripple training to speed up his reaction time as he listened for the sound of Kiba's footfalls to let him know where the bastard was. A swift combination of this, Zoom-punches and Hurricane Heart covering the rear ensured the lycanthrope couldn't sneak up on him anymore.

"DAMMIT!" Kiba yelped, rising to his feet after being knocked down again, "HOW THE HELL DO YOU KEEP FINDING ME!"

"What's the matter?" Naruto mocked, "Did ya piss your pants? Wanna pray to God? Feeling like hunkering down and begging for mercy?" He stalked towards the Inuzuka with a smirk, "All those gotta be seeming pretty tempting to you right now."

Kiba bristled, before ginning ferally, laughing as he shook his head. "Heh, yeah, yeah FUCK YEAH!" he cackled, grinning insanely at the blonde, "Now this is how it should be! Wouldn't be any fun if it were too damn easy!"

He charged forwards, the wind tearing around him as his claws raked the ground, "I BEEN SAVING THIS FOR YA!" he bellowed, claws glistening as he swiped horizontally, "KURAEI! GAROU ZANKUU GEKI!"

Naruto moved to dodge, only to blink as he was pulled TOWARDS the lycanthrope, Kiba's second set of claws rising to meet him. 'Wind pressure!' he realized, 'he swiped so fast it left a vacuum, drawing his opponent closer to him!' He winced as he felt himself slide forwards, 'Can't slip away!' He crossed his arms as Hurricane Heart appeared before him, 'Oh fuck this is gonna hurt!'

The fanged hurricane slammed into the blonde, sending him soaring, stand and all, the gauntlets riddled with slash marks as blood sprayed from Naruto's arms and neck. Kiba slid to a halt five feet away, as Naruto landed on his shoulder. HARD.

"Not bad eh?" the Inuzuka growled, "Been practicing that ever since I got this ability." He tilted his head slightly, "Never actually thought I'd have to use it on you but…" he shrugged, "Ah well, you still alive down there?"

Naruto replied by spitting out grass and blood, wiping his mouth as the cuts on his neck healed, aided by the Hamon training. "Pretty damn good." He admitted, "Lost my damn footing there…that your ace is it?" He got to his feet, breathing a little heavy as he tried to keep up the rhythm, "Sorry to say I haven't got one to back it up."

The two eyed each other, neither prepared to give an inch towards the other on this battle of wills. "This is kinda exciting," Naruto muttered, spitting off to the side, "Kinda like one of those old westerns Iruka-sensei loves."

"Draw pilgrim," Kiba agreed, pretending to fire a gun with his clawed hand, "or something like that anyway."

"Yeah that's it," Naruto agreed, "only problem is, the good guys always won in those movies…which means the outcome of this match just got decided." He pointed at Kiba with a smirk on his face, as he looked the lycanthrope in the eyes.

"Hope you're ready for it Kiba," he warned, "'cause I'm gonna rip that damn pelt off you and use it as a bathroom rug."

Kiba smirked, cracking his joints in anticipation, "You're welcome to try loser," he mocked, "but then, maybe you want another helping of my last attack?"

"Try me," Naruto shot back, giving the lycanthrope the finger, "I ain't going down until you do."

Kiba snorted, glaring into his opponent's eyes with a smirk, "You're a fool," he muttered, before moving into a stance, "But then again, I'm not much better."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto grimaced, feeling blood slide down his arm as his wounds continued to bleed. 'I may be bragging,' he noted, 'but that last attack's a lot better than I let on.' He grimaced as he sensed Hurricane Heart's hands just under his clothing, 'If I hadn't used my stand to guard my vitals…'

The teen eyed his opponent warily, trying to figure out how to come out on top, 'That vacuum of his negates any real defense.' He noted, 'and since he can rush in behind it, putting up a guard is pointless.' He grit his teeth in irritation, 'Dammit! If only I had a little more time.'

His fists clenched, his stand mimicking him as he felt his joints pop. He blinked as a faint humming reached his attention gazing out the corner of his eyes at the drilled gauntlets adorning his stand's wrists.

'They're…rotating?' he wondered, only for them to stop as he held his breath, 'wait a minute… they never did that before…' he blinked, as he recalled how he'd been able to hear everything during their last exchange, the Hamon enhancing his senses, making Kiba's movements through the air as audible as a gale.

'Waitaminute.' He muttered, 'enhanced senses aside, Hamon shouldn't grant me control over wind currents.' He eyed the gauntlets again, an idea forming in his head, 'Could it be-?'

"You ready to die?!" Kiba yelled out launching forwards with the same swiping motion from before, "GAROU ZANKUU GEKI!"

Naruto grit his teeth and inhaled, sharpening his senses as he lunged forwards, Hurricane Heart jabbing upwards, the drill-like gauntlets rotating wildly. The two blows collided, only for both teens to gape in shock as a massive wind picked up between them, their last shared thought being 'HOLY SHI-!' before everything went white.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The three allies reconvened where not far from where Shikamaru was, Chouji panting for breath as the bug hovered behind him. "So what did you find, Shikamaru-kun?" Lee asked, blinking in confusion as he took in the smell of burnt leaves, "A fire?"

"More than that." Shikamaru muttered, holding up the remains of a bra with an embarrassed look on his face.

"SHIKAMARU-KUN!" Lee yelled, flushing furiously and making an odd pose, as if to ward away the lingerie "Have you no shame? Put that down!"

"Didn't know you were into that, Shikamaru." Chouji noted, looking at his friend disappointedly, "I always thought you considered girl's annoying."

"BAKAS!" the Nara spiked, looking highly vexed, "I'm not holding this thing cause I want to!" he held it up so they could see it was burnt, "Someone torched it, and quite a few other things too."

Lee blinked, taking in the scene more clearly, noting the remains of a shoe and the rest of a uniform with a wince, "You don't think that…"

"I'm afraid so," Shikamaru muttered, tossing the remains of the brassiere to the embarrassed teen for him to read the remains for the nametag. "It's faint, but her name's on it, can't be too many girls with names that start with 'Hin' and 'Hyu' in this town."

"A D-Cup?" Lee wondered numbly, staring at the article in shock as Shikamaru face faulted.

"No way!" Chouji exclaimed, eyes widening, "I've never seen one this close!" he blinked suddenly "How d'ya think she was hiding them like that?"

"With that baggy school jumper I suppose." Shikamaru muttered, getting to his feet with a growl, "And can we change the subject? Please?"

"Not a breast man I take it, Shikamaru?" Chouji wondered, causing Lee to flush and the Nara to glare at him in annoyance, "Just saying, I prefer legs myself."

"For your sake that better not be a food joke." Shikamaru muttered, glaring at his friend before sighing and turning to Lee, who was going an interesting shade of magenta "Anyway, tastes and preferences aside, should we let Naruto know about this?"

"Of course!" Lee insisted, "Naruto-kun is worried about Hinata-san! Even the slightest piece of information could help!"

"True." Shikamaru muttered, "But if we tell him about this…" he shivered at the thought of Naruto and his stand going on a rampage, newspaper articles with the words 'The end is nigh!' and 'The destroyer is manifest!' hovering behind him.

"Good point." Lee muttered, somehow catching his kohai's sentiment, knowing all to well that once Naruto's temper got going, there was little that could stop him. "Let's try to keep this to ourselves if we can help it."

An explosion rocked the park, the two nearly losing their footing as they grabbed each other for support, Choji falling over and grabbing a tree trunk for dear life. "What was that?!" Lee yelped, looking around for danger, his stand at the ready, "An earthquake?"

"Worse." Shikamaru muttered, his own reappearing behind him as he looked towards the football pitch "I sent my stand to keep an eye on Naruto after I called you." He shivered at the thought, "Whatever that was, it happened because of those two idiots."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto groaned as he tried to sit up, wincing as his aching frame attempted to mutiny as a result of the harsh treatment it had just undergone. 'Yare-Yare-tebayo,' he muttered 'didn't think I'd come outta that one without a scratch…but this is something else.' He winced as he got to one knee, the other leg trembling as he put weight on it. 'Haven't felt this bad since I took on that Zabuza bastard years ago.'

Momochi Zabuza had been a Yakuza lackey with quite the reputation in Japan, who had recently been seen in Konoha. Some said he'd always take a piece of his opponent with him after a fight, others that he fought like the devil himself. Naruto had met the man during a bust-up one day, and the memory still gave him shivers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flashback

"_You still alive Gaki?" the bandaged figure asked, his deep voice menacing, yet at the same time reassuring "You're certainly tougher than the pussy's we've got working for us."_

_Naruto, barely into his teens, grit his teeth and glared at the man as he held his gut, where a well-aimed punch had taken him down. Scattered around him were the remains of the Yakuza's lackey's, all curled up and unconscious, all bleeding from various wounds._

"_Teme…!" the blonde snarled, clawing at the pavement as he tried to get up, glaring at Zabuza all the while "I'm…gonna get you…for that!"_

"_That so?" Zabuza asked, squatting down before the teen with a lazy expression on his face, "In that case, you're gonna have to get stronger…a LOT stronger."_

"_Then I'll get stronger!" Naruto snapped, wincing as his ribs popped, "I'll train and come back stronger than ever, even if it takes me ten years!"_

_Zabuza eyed him for a moment, before chuckling darkly and ruffling the kid's hair, picking up his suit coat from the crate as he walked away._

_"I'm looking forward to it…Gaki."_

End Flashback

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Hell of a thing to be thinking about in the midst of a fight,' the blonde noted with a snort, shaking his head to clear it as he looked about for Kiba, "OI! WAN-CHAN!" he called out mockingly, "You still alive and ready to go? Or did ya roll over and play dead?"

He gazed across the small crater that had formed as a result of the fight, and the trench that led away from it, where a prone white form lay on it's back. It shuddered briefly, before lifting it's head to level a lupine smirk at him. "Like hell I'd roll over." Kiba grit out, wincing as his body ached all over, getting into the same position as Naruto "This is starting ta get good!"

"I'll say," Naruto admitted, grinning like the fight junkie he was "Though I'm guessing after that you're as exhausted as I am."

"Can the crap." Kiba shot back, "I can tell you're raring to go baka, you're barely out of breath." He thumbed at himself, "In this form my senses are ten times keener that that of an actual wolf, that, and I recover from injuries a lot faster than normal too."

"Just like in the damn movies." Naruto muttered, staggering to his feet "And me without any silver."

"Don't compare me to some Hollywood has been." Kiba snorted, rising to his feet as well "And you're a fine one to talk, the hell kinda body you got there?"

Naruto eyed one of the cuts on his arm as it healed, albeit slowly, with each passing breath, passing it off as part of the Hamon training, "Why don't you come and find out?" he dared, waving at the lupine teen to approach.

"NARUTO-KUN!"

The blonde staggered, righting himself quickly as Lee arrived on the scene, Shikamaru and Chouji in tow. "Sempai?" he wondered, "Guys? You find anything out there?"

"Nothing good." Shikamaru muttered, "We were too late, whoever the third guy was he took off with Hinata before we got here."

"NANI?!" Naruto spiked, wounds apparently forgotten "Then what the hell are we doing flapping our gums here for?! Let's get going!"

"Uzumaki!" Kiba snapped, appearing before the blonde and swiping at him with his claws, "You ain't goin' nowhere!"

"Damn it Kiba!" the blonde cursed, weaving away from the blows as best he could "I don't got time to deal with you right now!"

"Tough!" Kiba snarled, eyes flashing red briefly, "I've waited too long for this! I ain't letting you go till only one of us is standing!"

"Don't you care about the fact some guy kidnapped a girl?" Naruto yelled, grabbing the lupine's wrists and glaring at him, "Don't you care what could happen to her?!"

"Not one bit!" Kiba replied, lunging forwards and biting the blonde on the shoulder.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Something's not right here." Shikamaru muttered, eyeing the fight with a wince as blood sprayed from Kiba's last move, "This isn't at all like Kiba."

"What do you mean, Shikamaru-kun?" Lee asked, whilst Chouji retched behind a tree at the sight of blood.

"I'm not like Naruto," the Nara stated, watching the fight carefully "I NEVER forget a face, or the person attached to it, and while I didn't know Kiba that well, from what I gathered from his gang he's not the type to purposefully put a lady in danger, OR resort to taking hostages."

"Maybe becoming a stand user changed him?" Lee asked, "Mizuki-sensei was supposed to be pretty bloodthirsty too."

"Mizuki-sensei was insane." Shikamaru countered "No, I think something else's is going on here." He held up a finger for emphasis "But unless we can capture him there's little point in me guessing."

"Should I intervene then?" Lee asked, his bandages unraveling as he took a step forward, blinking as Shikamaru's hand held him back.

"Only if you want Naruto to punch your lights out." The Nara muttered, sighing exasperatedly, "He's got this thing about people interfering with his fights, wouldn't accept help if he was about to be squashed by Godzilla."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"T-teme-!" Naruto grit out, grabbing a tuft of Kiba's hair in one hand and the lycanthrope's throat in another, "Do I look like a freakin' chew toy to you?!"

Kiba growled and swiped out, leaving a trail of scratches on the blonde's face, only to balk as Hurricane Heart's fist ploughed into his stomach, the gauntlet rotating wildly, like a power drill 'No!' the lupine realized abruptly, even as the wind picked up again, circling around the arm like a hurricane 'Not a drill…a turbine!'

"KURAEI-!" Naruto yelled, ramming his head forward in a savage head butt, knocking his opponent's head back, releasing his wrist in the process.

There was an explosion of air, followed by Kiba blasting backwards, spiraling through the air like a broken propeller, before crashing through a tree and coming to a halt, a good thirty feet away from his opponent.

"And that's with my LEFT hand." Naruto rasped, gripping his bleeding right shoulder with said limb, before falling to his knees, chuckling weakly between gasps, "Yare-Yare-tebayo…everything's…getting a little…dizzy…"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Most impressive.' Was the thought of one Uchiha Sasuke, eyeing the group through binoculars from the roof of a nearby building 'It would appear that the Stands awoken through Hyuuga's gift are of a higher quality than those encountered before.'

He eyed the unconscious heiress impassively, having covered her with a blanket, as it wouldn't do for the prize to catch cold. 'Sad really,' he muttered, 'if you'd only let that fool die, I'd have never have caught on to you.' He shook his head, 'what an error on your part.'

He turned to regard the scene at the park again, shaking his head as the blonde's friends attempted to revive him, wincing as some unbidden memory tried to crawl to the surface. 'Why?' he wondered, glaring at the blonde, his throat tightening somewhat, 'Why does he seem so familiar?'

He snorted, a shadowy figure forming behind him, red eyes glowing in the dark as it lifted his slumbering captive into its arms, the three tomoe spinning slowly, almost menacingly. 'Probably just the smog in this crappy part of town.' That said, he stepped off the side of the rooftop, touching down on the pavement with the ease of a cat, the figure hovering behind him just as a black car to pull up alongside them. He climbed in, the door shutting quietly as the car pulled away into the night.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there we have it, the anticlimatic conclusoion to our sdecond major fight.

What does Sasuke-kun plan on doing with Hinata? Just how deeply does this plot run?

Can Naruto and the gang figure anything out from all this?

Also, for whom it may concern, here's Kiba's Stand!

Stand: Wolf Rock

User: Inuzuka Kiba

Power: B Speed: A Range: E

Staying: A Precision: E Learning: A

1- Bound to Kiba's body, can transform Kiba into a werewolf like persona.

2- Capable of moving at high speeds and using canine senses to track opponents.

3- Capable of tearing through metal with claws.

4- Sense of smell and hearing enhanced tremendously.

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

For reference, see the album by Guitar Wolf, a japanese rock band.

R&R!!

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry, no new stand stats this time round, not until they actually NAME their stands at least.

Also, a little insight into the situation, particularly Kiba's involvement.

HEAVEN OR HELL?

LET'S RAWK!

* * *

Chapter ten: Developments.

"Still no news?" Hiashi asked, looking out the window with his hands behind his back, looking as calm as ever, an impressive feat considering the situation at hand.

"Sumimasen," Neji offered, bowing his head in apology "We contacted the police as you requested, however they have found no more leads concerning Hinata-sama's whereabouts than our other information networks."

"I see." Hiashi noted, watching the rain fall with a calm face, before returning to his desk, falling into a pose akin to Gendo Ikari as he closed his eyes with a sigh, "That makes two days now, and still no word on her captor's description."

"My apologies," Neji offered, "I arrived too late to see his face, and the men had already been struck unconscious when he abducted Hinata-sama." He nodded, "Whoever he was, he's was careful not to let anyone see him."

Hiashi was silent a moment, before raising his head, eyes regarding his nephew, "except for ONE person." He corrected, earning a flinch from Neji.

"Hiashi-sama." The teen muttered, "Considering that the fact that Uzumaki was thrown off a building, do you really think he'd retain any memory of the captor?"

"That and more." Hiashi admitted, "If I'm not mistaken, those two were discussing something or other on the roof, before the captor threw Naruto-kun off and made his escape." He nodded, "I daresay Naruto may know the captor personally, either from a rival gang or a Yakuza group be fought before."

"Should we assume Uzumaki to be among the list of suspects then?" Neji asked, blinking as Hiashi chuckled.

"Eager to repay him for the wound?" the Hyuuga patriarch asked, chuckling again as Neji twitched, "Pride in one's ability is not a crime Neji, but too much pride has been the downfall of many a man." He got to his feet, gazing out the window at the rain, "You are dismissed, I'll have my men look into the matter personally."

"Hiashi-sama?" Neji wondered, looking up at his uncle in confusion, only for the man to raise a hand for silence.

"It is not that I have doubt in your abilities," Hiashi assured him, "but exams are coming up, and I'm certain Hinata would agree with me that missing out at this point would be terrible for you." He smiled at his nephew, "After all, the future of the clan rests not only on her, but you as well."

Neji bowed his head, accepting the compliment, but clenching his fists at his sides as he thought of how he'd been railroaded like this. "I shall take my leave now." He stated calmly, "Good night, Hiashi-sama."

Hiashi nodded, waiting for the door to shut before gazing up into the rainy skies. 'She hated the rain.' He noted, eyeing a picture on his desk, the figures hidden by a beam of light, 'I wonder if her son feels the same way?'

--

Naruto moaned and rolled over, wincing as his body ached, eyes cracking open to gaze blearily about the room. 'I'm at sempai's again?' he wondered blearily, 'Guess I must've passed out.' He rolled over on the bed, blinking as he espied Chouji's recumbent form sawing through logs by the wall, a tired looking Shikamaru looking at him in annoyance.

"How the hell could you sleep through this?" the Nara muttered, thumbing towards his best friend with a sigh, "Mendokuse, guess being half eaten by a werewolf has its perks."

"If it does then the pain sure as hell ain't one of them." Naruto griped, wincing as he sat up, placing a hand over his shoulder gingerly, "Damn, feels like he took a chunk outta me."

"Nah," Shikamaru assured him with a wave, "Sempai and Gai-sensei treated your wounds, looks like the fangs went right through without damaging anything vital." He shivered at the thought, "Dammit, why the hell am I even saying such things so calmly? I should be freaking out."

Chouji snorted and rolled over in his sleep, scratching his backside in the process, earning a snicker and sigh from his friends. "At least Chouji knows how to adapt to changes." Naruto snickered, ignoring the glare Shikamaru was leveling at him, "Speaking of canines though, where's Kiba?"

"Gai-sensei treated his wounds and left him in his room." Shikamaru replied, "He was really out of it though, he even reverted back to human form, which was convenient." He sighed, "Can you imagine what it would've looked like trying to get a cab with a Dark Stalkers reject and a bleeding punk over our shoulders?"

"Pretty funny actually." Naruto replied with a grin, Shikamaru sighing as a headache came on, just as Lee entered the room.

"Ah! Naruto-kun!" the elder teen greeted, walking over to the bed "Are you feeling better?"

"Lots, thanks sempai." The blonde offered, scratching the back of his head with a guilty grin "Sorry for taking over your bed again."

"It isn't a problem." Lee assured him, "Sensei and I were really worried, you'd lost a lot of blood by the time we got you here." He waved his hands placatingly at the blonde's look of concern, "Relax! Nowhere near as bad as during the accident, nothing a good night's rest couldn't cure anyway."

"That's another thing." Naruto noted, rotating his shoulder gingerly, "I know I heal fast, but isn't my body, well…healing faster?"

"That's because of the Hamon training." Lee assured him, "It speeds up your healing factor, meaning you recover from injuries much faster than normal."

"More weirdness?" Shikamaru muttered, waving a hand as Lee blinked at him, "Never mind, if I hear anymore my head might explode."

Lee blinked, looking between Shikamaru and a snickering Naruto, before starting suddenly, "Oh yes!" he recalled, "Gai-sensei sent me to let you know breakfast was ready."

Chouji snorted, sitting upright with a grunt and turning to regard the older teen sleepily, "Someone say breakfast?" he asked, blinking at the look of annoyance on Shikamaru's face, "What?"

--

"Hmm." Gai muttered solemnly, ignoring the sounds of Chouji scarfing down bowl after bowl of food, "This is a predicament, but from what we can uncover, the third party wasn't expecting us to find them so easily."

"I doubt that." Shikamaru muttered, his finished bowl lying before him, "He obviously recruited Kiba for the job, but something tells me he may have done something to him."

"Done something?" Lee wondered, leaning out of the way as Chouji snared the last mackerel with his chopsticks, "Like what, Shikamaru-kun?"

"Let's look at the facts;" Shikamaru stated, "First, the third party obviously knew about Kiba's abilities, so he either has knowledge of Stand users or he was the one who gave the ability to Kiba in the first place." He held up a second finger, "Second, Kiba's actions during the fight hinted that he wasn't quite himself, his lack of concern for Hinata's well being for example."

The Nara eyed the group with serious eyes, Chouji pausing in his actions as he listened carefully. "Also," he added, "there was the scorched part of the woods we found." He eyed the group warily, "Unless this guy travels around with a flamethrower, it's safe to assume he's a stand user as well."

"Pyrokinesis is a fearsome ability indeed." Gai noted with a grim expression, "After all, Fire is what gave birth to the world, so a Stand that can control it shouldn't be taken lightly."

"Kuso-!" Naruto growled, glaring at the tabletop in restrained anger, "So in the end we're no closer than before?"

"Not necessarily." Shikamaru opined, "Remember, we DID manage to capture Kiba. No matter how unwilling he was, he WAS an accomplice to this guy." He nodded confidently, "At the very least, he can give us a description."

"Sorry to burst your bubble then." A voice called out, the group turning as one to eye the battered form of Kiba, bandages wrapped around his stomach and torso as he leant against the doorway.

"You shouldn't be up!" Lee reprimanded, rising to his feet in concern "Your wounds! They still haven't healed!"

"Keep yer eyebrows on pal," the injured teen muttered roughly, "I heal fast, side effect of having a shape shifting stand." He staggered forwards, only for Lee to support him, "Though it'd be nice if my legs would freakin cooperate." He admitted, falling into a chair with a sigh.

"What did you mean by that?" Shikamaru asked, silencing Naruto with a glare as the blonde opened his mouth to rant at the teen, "Were you listening to us?"

"Every word." Kiba admitted pointing at his ears "My hearing may not be as sharp in human form, but they're still better than a normal human's."

"Then you know what we were talking about." The Nara deduced "Care to explain yourself? From what your gang tells me kidnapping isn't something you make a habit of."

"They'd be right." Kiba muttered, wincing as his ribs creaked, "Despite all the things we get up to, hurting girls' the one thing I cant stand."

"Then why'd ya kidnap Hinata, huh?!" Naruto yelled, slapping the table with both hands and startling the group "If you're so high and mighty, why'd you become someone's errand boy!"

"Who you calling an errand boy!" Kiba yelled, the two getting in each other's faces, lightning crackling between them, until bandages wrapped around them tightly, dragging them back to their seats.

"Do I have to separate you two?" Lee asked, Kung-Fu Generation hovering behind him, the bandages trailing back to the arms, before eyeing Kiba calmly, "Continue, Kiba kun."

--

Kiba eyed the older teen warily, before sighing and shaking his head, "I dunno why really," he admitted, "It just, it just seemed like the only thing to do..." he shook his head for emphasis "It's weird, but I feel like I've been asleep this whole time, like I'd been watching a movie in slow-motion."

"Asleep?" Shikamaru repeated, raising an eyebrow, "You mean you turn into a bloodthirsty werewolf whenever you doze off? Remind me to keep you pepped up on caffeine."

"Not like that!" Kiba snapped, wincing as it made his ribs pop, "I mean…you know those dreams where you can feel yourself falling but wake up just before you hit?" he waited until the group nodded, "Well it felt like I was stuck between the part were I was about to hit and the part I woke up."

"That made no sense at all." Naruto deadpanned, eyes shut for emphasis, earning a sigh from the group.

"Actually it does," Gai replied, crossing his arms and nodding "You may scoff at the idea, but the military and certain mafia groups are quite skilled in planting hypnotic suggestions in people in order to get the job done." He nodded towards Kiba, "it's a long shot, but it would explain Kiba's lack of memory."

"One question." Shikamaru pointed out, pointing at the teen "Have you always been a stand user?"

"No," Kiba stated, "I gained my ability a while ago, a day before all this happened actually."

"Which means that our mysterious third party must've given you your ability." The Nara deduced, "Think back, what can you remember?"

Kiba closed his eyes and frowned, humming deeply for a while as he tried to recall the first time he'd gained his powers.

--

Flashback.

"_You must be the leader of the Red Fangs," a shadowy figure noted, upper body shadowed by the overpass he was standing under._

"_Yeah, what's it to you?" Kiba snorted, eyeing the figure with a smirk, 'What a pansy,' he sneered mockingly 'I could snap his wrist like a twig.'_

"_I hear you've earned quite the reputation as the second toughest street fighter in East Konoha." The figure noted with a wry smile, "Quite an achievement."_

"_HEY!" the loud punk yelled, "WHO YOU CALLN' NO.2?! THERE AIN'T NO ONE TOUGHER THAN OUR BOSS!"_

"_URUSEI!" Kiba snapped, silencing his subordinate with glare, before leveling a fiercer one at the figure in the shadow, "Alright pencil neck, what d'ya want?"_

"_I have a proposition for you," the figure offered, "How would you lie to become the strongest fighter in ALL of Konoha?" he held out a hand, one in his pocket as he reached out, "I can help you, for a price."_

_Kiba scoffed, flipping the bird at the figure with a smirk, "So that's it," he mocked, turning on his heel "Take a hike druggie, I don't do stimulants."_

"_You obviously don't do baths either." The figure noted, a mocking tone entering his voice, "But then again, a mutt IS a mutt."_

_Kiba rounded on the figure with a snarl, only to gasp as an arrow shot trough his shoulder, knocking him on his back. "BOSS!" the group yelled, running forwards out of concern for their leader, only to freeze, falling down unconscious, their eyes blank, as if in a trance._

"_W-what-the-?" Kiba panted, unable to move anything below his neck as he gaped at his gang, "What did you-?!"_

"_Still alive?" the figure noted, pressing a foot on the teen's cheek as he gripped the arrow by the shaft, "Impressive, I guess even a dog has his day." He yanked the arrow out viciously, the weapon slipping out like a hot knife through butter, leaving no wound despite all logic "Now…let's see those fangs of yours."_

_Kiba convulsed, snarling ferally as he felt his muscles bulge, his joints realign as his feet lengthened, his shoes and jacket ripping as he lunged at the figure's throat, only for an invisible hand to wrap around his own._

"_Down puppy." The figure's voice ordered, a set of crimson eyes with three commas circling the pupil glaring into the lycanthrope's, "A dog that bites its master gets put down after all."_

_Kiba felt himself go numb, as the voice echoed around his skull, he dimly recalled trying to order his arms to move, only for them to ignore him._

"_Tomorrow at noon," the voice instructed, "You are to go to the warehouse area in East Konoha. There you will kidnap this girl."_

_An image of a pretty, white-eyed girl flashed through the teen's mind, even as he tried to resist. "Won't…" he grit out stubbornly "Don't…take…hostages…"_

"_Naruto will be there." The voice instructed, sending a shudder through the teen, "Bring the girl to me, and you can be sure he'll fight you to get her back."_

"_Naruto…fight…?" Kiba managed to get out, a rush running through him as some primal instinct took over, managing a last "No Naruto…No deal!" before succumbing to the voice's will._

_"Agreed," the figure stated, the red eyes glowing, "Now go to sleep little puppy, and don't forget your mission."_

End Flashback

--

"The next thing I know I'm being sent flying into a tree by whatever the heck 'ramen-for-brains' here did." Kiba admitted, nodding towards Naruto, who stuck his tongue out at him.

"So you can't remember anything about the guy at all?" Shikamaru implored, "His face, his clothes?"

"Actually," Kiba muttered, frowning, "He looked like he was wearing some sort of school uniform." He shook his head, "Not from this area though, but it DID have the Konoha leaf on the collar."

"Meaning it's a private school." Gai noted with a nod, "They're the only ones that place badges on the collars, most make due without them."

"And since the only area with private schools is North Konoha," Shikamaru added, "It's safe to say our culprit may be hiding out there."

"Yatta!" Naruto yelled getting to his feet with a smirk "If that's the case, let's storm the place and raise hell until we find the guy!"

"Hold it there, wild bill," Shikamaru called out, stalling the teen in mid charge, "Do you know exactly HOW many private schools there ARE in North Konoha?"

"Two?" Naruto wondered hopefully, sweat dropping as the group shook their heads at him "Three?"

"Try ten." Shikamaru replied snidely, "Each with ties to different social standing, links to major companies and government bigwigs." He eyed the teen with a deadpan expression, "You go in there with all guns blazing and you'll get arrested before you can even say 'Stand', let alone summon yours."

Naruto slumped in defeat, a cloud of depression hovering over him as he returned to his seat and sulked, Chouji patting him on the back. Off to the side, Gai thought in silence for a moment, before sighing dramatically and shaking his head. "As it is, we cannot go to the police about this," the instructor stated, nodding at the looks of confusion on his students' faces "I highly doubt they'll buy Kiba-kun's story, and besides, they'd want to know WHO saw fit to decimate the park yesterday."

Naruto and Kiba sweatdropped at this, knowing that the Konoha nature preservation society had a nasty habit of stringing people up by their thumbs for littering, let alone actually damaging the environment.

"That being said," Gai stated, "I suggest we discuss this later on." He nodded at Lee, smiling at his protégée "Your track captain called, they're starting after nine."

Lee nodded and rushed up to his room for his things, Gai turning his attention to the other four. "Chouji-kun, Shikamaru-kun, I told your parents that you were visiting Lee on a sleepover since you all got caught up in the rain." He nodded solemnly, "They want you back as soon as possible however so I would suggest you think about heading back."

"And as for you two." He stated, turning to face the two invalids, "You may both be fast healers, but until I say otherwise, neither of you is to leave this house or strain yourselves, am I clear?"

"Yes sensei." The two moaned, shivering at the aura of righteous authority the energetic instructor was giving off.

--

"So what do we do now?" Chouji wondered, walking alongside his friend as they made their way home, "It's not like we have much else to go on."

"Maybe Shino can help out again." Shikamaru muttered, wincing at the thought of their classmate, "Then again, we still don't know what kinda favor he's gonna ask of us, so maybe we should save that card for later."

Chouji nodded, shuddering at the thought of what their silent classmate could possibly want. He blinked as they came up to his house, before waving at his friend, "Catch ya later Shikamaru!" he called out, "I hope your mom doesn't kill ya!"

'Thanks for the sympathy.' The Nara muttered bitterly, walking the remaining way to his own house with the air of a condemned man, 'Mendokuse, what the hell did I do to deserve this?'

--

"Things have been going as planned," Sasuke reported, chatting into a mobile phone as he sat in the back of a black car, Hinata lying covered on the seat beside him, "Yes I'm certain this is the best tactic, taking Hyuuga-san directly to the academy would be a tactical error, not with HIM watching over everything."

"I can assure you," a serpentine voice coaxed over the line, "HE will not suspect a thing." The caller chuckled darkly, a tone that made the Uchiha's skin shiver, as if something slimy had just slithered under his skin. "However I trust your judgment, I expect good results from you as always, Sasuke-kun."

"One slight hitch however," Sasuke added, "Inuzuka failed to defeat the rats that have been running around."

"Never send a dog to do a man's job." The serpentine voice quoted, chuckling again, "No bother, have him erased along with the others."

"Should I face them myself?" the Uchiha asked, feeling an inexplicable rush at the thought of going head to head with the fabled 'Hurricane King', even if he WAS an idiot that got lucky. He frowned as the person on the other end chuckled again.

"Kukukuku, chomping at the bit are we?" the voice queried dryly, earning a twitch from the Uchiha "No need to dirty yourself to dealing with trash Sasuke-kun, if the data we compiled is right, there's a sleeper just waiting to finish the job."

"Sleeper?" Sasuke repeated, cocking an eyebrow in interest, "You're saying we have an agent on the inside?"

"Not as such, no." the voice admitted wryly "More like a failed experiment that may yet serve some good...given the right incentive." He chuckled again, "Something you're QUITE skilled at providing."

Sasuke frowned, a dark figure appearing beside him, arms folded under large wings that resembled twisted webbed hands, the red eyes glowing menacingly. "Understood," he muttered, nodding his assent, "As soon as I've delivered the package to a safe house, I'll contact this sleeper." He dismissed his stand with a frown, "Have the necessary details ready."

--

In a darkened room, a figure smirked at the mobile phone in his arms, the dial tone audible as he held it before him. "He's upset with me." He noted aloud, a twisted smirk coming to his face, "Such a headstrong young man, he really needs to relax more."

"Is it wise to keep goading him like that?" a figure asked, hidden in the shadows, light reflecting off a set of spectacles, "After all, if you push him too far…"

"Your concerns are appreciated," the first figure stated, rising out of his chair, his khaki suit trousers rustling as he stood up, pulling on a matching suit jacket as he checked his reflection in the mirror, "However, I assure you we have little need to concern ourselves about Sasuke-kun."

He grinned, long black hair flowing behind him as he made his way towards the door, donning a pair of glasses, "After all, he needs me as much as I need him."

The second figure nodded, a white lab coat catching the light, "I should return to my post." He stated, "I'm already going to be late as it is."

"I'm counting on you." The older figure stated, leaving the room and closing the door behind him, chuckling as he made his way up the steps. "Kukukuku…everything is going according to plan."

--

Two day's until the end of spring break…

Neji thanked the driver for his time and turned back to face the academy, gazing up at the pristine walls with an impassive face, before making his way into the boys dorm. He nodded at several underclassmen as the waved at him, answering their queries about his break curtly, before making his way towards the senior dormitories.

"You're looking charming as always," an amused voice called out, a figure leaning against his door pointed out, dressed in a senior boys uniform, care to share?"

"Out of my way, Saotome." The Hyuuga muttered, glaring at the figure in annoyance, "I am hardly in the mood."

"Mo-u." the figure sighed, revealing itself to be a pigtailed youth with a slight, athletic frame and warm brown eyes, "is that how you treat your roommate after being away for so long?"

Neji pushed past the figure and entered the dorm with his key-card, sorting through his cupboard to ensure his things arrived safely. The pigtailed teen raised a delicate eyebrow, taking in the Hyuuga's actions with interest. "No news at all?"

"Not even a ransom demand." Neji admitted, after turning to ensure the door was shut tight, his roommate leaning against it, "And both the police and Uncle's spy networks have turned up empty, this isn't the work of some simple kidnapper."

"Sure you don't want some back-up?" the youth asked, grinning helpfully at the longhaired teen, "After all, two heads are better than one."

"This is MY mess." Neji replied flatly, turning his head back to his things, pulling out a training gi as he sorted through his closet, "And I WILL correct it, without help."

The pony tailed teen sighed, leaving to grant the Hyuuga privacy to get changed, knowing he'd be found in the gym until evening.

'Neji,' the teen sighed, head resting against the door to the room exhaustedly, 'you can't keep punishing yourself like this.' Knuckles tightened as the teen's eyes narrowed, 'I've got your back, even if you won't accept it.'

--

Mitarashi Anko grinned as she sat in her favorite restaurant, nursing a mug of beer. Across from her sat a woman with curly hair and red eyes, sipping lemonade and dressed in a sensible blouse and jeans. "He's still dodging the question?" Anko cackled, chugging down half her drink and leering at her friend, "God, Kurenai, why don't you dump the bastard?"

"He's sweet." Kurenai replied, playing with the ice in her drink "He's just…not ready to commit to anything yet"

"More likely he doesn't wanna give up the bachelor life." Anko snorted derisively, munching away at some dango, ignoring the look her friend gave her, "That's usually it right? They come at ya with all roses and chocolates, but mention the 'M' word and they'll head for the hills."

"Asuma isn't like that." Kurenai defended, "He's serious, upstanding, and he happens to LIKE kids a lot." She gazed at her drink with a sad smile, "He just doesn't think he's ready to raise one."

"So?" Anko replied, arms behind her head, dango skewer between her teeth "Getting hitched don't necessarily mean having kids, provided ya take measures." She grinned at her friend, "Or are you one of those 'commando' couples?"

"ANKO!" Kurenai chastised, flushing scarlet at the accusation as her friend cackled, only to sigh and shake her head, jumping as a hand touched her shoulder.

"Thought I saw you here." A tall, bearded man noted, dressed in a white shirt, black pants and a grey fedora. He had a bouquet of roses over his shoulder and a lit cigarette between his teeth, "Hey Anko, long time no see."

Anko scowled and pointed over her shoulder at the 'No Smoking' sign, earning a sigh as the man quickly extinguished his cancer stick. "Those thing's are gonna kill you." She pointed out, to which the man chuckled.

"True, but that's a long way off yet." He handed the bouquet to Kurenai, who smiled and took them, "Anyways, sorry to interrupt your girl time, but Kurenai and I have a date."

"Yeah whatever," Anko snorted, waving at the couple dismissively, "Now get outta here before ya gimme cavities."

The purple haired instructor waited until the two were about to leave before smirking, "Hey Kurenai!" she called out "Remember, if you get tired a waiting, just chain him to the bed until he says yes." She leered at the blushing couple, "Giving him a little incentive may help."

Asuma blinked in confusion, only to be pushed out of the restaurant by a furiously blushing Kurenai, amidst the cackles of her demented friend.

"Rather vulgar of you." A voice noted wryly, "Did you REALLY have to yell that across the restaurant?"

Anko turned to glare at the person in the booth behind her, only to blink at the sight of a young, raven haired youth in a north Konoha Gakuen uniform. She winced at the sight of it, bad memories rising to the surface before shaking herself mentally, not willing to let her guard down.

"What business is it of yours brat?" she muttered, turning away from the teen in annoyance, "Not like anyone really cares." She downed the rest of her beer and called for another, scowling as the youth chuckled.

"You haven't changed a bit." the teen noted, rifling through a file on his table, "Same attitude, same lack of restraint, same taste in beverages." He winced as he eyed the massive mug of beer that was set down before her, "How on earth can you drink that stuff?"

"Who the hell are you?" Anko growled, turning her head to glare at the teen, as he smirked at her with his hands bridged.

"Just a messenger," the teen replied "one with some rather explicit instruction to give out." He stood up, smiling at the woman as she did so as well, "Care to meet me out back? Unless of course…" he trailed off, eyeing the door Kurenai and Asuma had just left.

"Out back?" Anko repeated, snorting mockingly "Get right to the point don't ya?" she grinned at the disgusted grimace on the teen's face, "Aw, what's the matter?" she teased "Not hit puberty yet?"

The teen scowled and pushed past her to the back door of the restaurant, Anko following closely behind him. Flipping open the door and stepping out into the air, the teen eyed the deserted back alley carefully, before nodding.

"This should do," he noted, looking around warily, "I don't particularly want anyone seeing this-!" he lunged to the side as Anko's foot came rushing at his back, flipping upright and watching her warily. "Was that necessary? I told you, I'm just a messenger."

"I don't give a crap." Anko muttered, popping her knuckles, "You think you're the first lackey the Yakuza have sent at me?" she snorted "I'll give you credit for the schoolboy disguise, almost got my guard down, but don't think you're walking away with your balls intact!"

She struck out again, kicking a trashcan lid into his face, which he ducked under, leaning out of the way of her rising knee and using his momentum to flip backwards, ducking under her strikes carefully, before grabbing her arm and attempting to dislocate it at the elbow, only for Anko to twist round and come at him with a knee to the head, which he barely avoided, skidding back to a safe distance as the two eyed each other.

--

'She's pretty good,' Sasuke admitted, gasping for breath as he watched the woman warily, 'same style, same movements, she's definitely the one he was talking about.'

"Your Snake style is quite elegant," he called out, smirking at her confidently, "But why don't you quit holding back?"

"Oh don't you worry," Anko grinned, popping her joints back into place "I'll have your balls on a platter before the evenings up."

"Charming," Sasuke grimaced, putting his hands in their pockets, "but not what I meant, SURELY you haven't forgotten about IT?"

"IT?" Anko muttered, eyes narrowing dangerously, "The hell are you talking about you Kuso-tori-atama?"

"No need to be coy, Mitarashi-san," Sasuke mocked, "I'm not part of the Yakuza either, I'm here on HIS orders." He smirked slyly "He seems to have a use for you."

Anko's eyes narrowed to slits as she bit her lip, knuckles popping under the pressure she was exerting on them, before smirking dangerously. "I see, so he's sending one of his toys to fetch me is he?" She spat to the side, out stretching her arm as something coiled around it, "well he can keep dreaming!"

Sasuke leapt back just in time to avoid being impaled by numerous projectiles, which instead imbedded themselves in the ground. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of the almost intangible serpent coiled around the woman's arm and waist before nodding, "I see, so that's you ability is it?"

"You can see it huh?" Anko muttered, her hand raised, the serpent coiling around her arm to rest it's head against her palm, "Shouldn't be surprised, he only did go for the pretty ones with talent." She snorted, "Though you're not really much to look at."

"I really couldn't care on the subject." Sasuke admitted, hands in his pockets, "Now what say we discuss this like civilized people?"

"I'd say: SCREW YOU!" Anko yelled, thrusting an arm out as the serpent opened it's mouth, launching more projectiles at the teen, only to blink as a webbed-claw appeared out of nowhere, sheltering the teen from the onslaught.

"I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this." Sasuke admitted, as the wing was raised to reveal his stand, the red eyes locked onto Anko's own "But it is so much more effective."

Anko would have replied, but she was rather preoccupied with gazing into the red eyes with the three, spinning tomoe, the darkness gathering around her like a cloak.

"Ku…so…"

--

As I said, no stats this time round, however, things are heating up for Naruto and co.

Will Kiba assist in the search foir Hinata?

What will Sasuke do to Anko?

WHO is the mysterious figure in the Khaki coat? and WHO is the man in the labcoat?

Will Auma pop the question? Probably not, but anything's possible on the next installment of Naruto no Kimiyona Bouken!

R&R-Daze!!

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Still no stand stats, sorry folks, expect Chouji's soon but not TOO soon.

That said, let's get this party started!

HEAVEN OR HELL?

LET'S RAWK!!

Chapter eleven: Comrades.

"SHIKAMARU!"

The lazy teen moaned and collapsed on his desk, his half finished homework cushioning his face as he wondered what on earth his 'beloved' mother wanted now. The teen had finally gotten around to finishing off his assignments, no thanks to Choji and Naruto needing his help, and he really wasn't in the mood to be chewed out over some trivial little fault

'It didn't sound like her 'I've got chores for you' yell,' he noted with a sigh, walking to the door and making his way down the steps, 'but it's too loud to be her 'I caught you sleeping again' yell.'

No sooner had the teen entered the main hallway did he find himself blinking as something was stuck under his nose, courtesy of a rather vexed looking mother. "JUST WHAT DO YOU CALL THIS?" Mrs. Nara asked, veins popping all over her forehead as she glared at her only son, "JUST WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO?!"

'Ah shit!' Shikamaru winced, gazing at the charred remains of Hinata's bra in mortification, 'I forgot I put it in my pants pocket!'

"Calm down honey," Shikaku tried placatingly, "there's probably a good explanation for this…" he trailed off as his wife glared at him, sending an apologetic look towards his son that clearly said, 'I tried.'

"That isn't mine." Shikamaru replied, mentally kicking himself as soon as the words left his mouth "Someone's obviously playing a really bad prank."

"I'LL JUST BET IT'S THAT USELESS DELINQUENT NARUTO!" the Nara matriarch snapped, "YOU'VE BEEN HANGING OUT WITH THAT HOODLUM FOR SO LONG YOU'RE STARTING TO ACT LIKE HIM!"

Shikamaru winced and looked down, letting the tirade wash over him like always, knowing it was better to just comply with her wishes and get it over with.

"YOUR SCHOOLWORK'S BEEN IN THE TOILET EVER SINCE YOU STARTED HANGING OUT WITH THAT HOODLUM!" Mrs. Nara continued, ignoring the fact that Shikamaru's study habits were ALWAYS questionable at best, pointing at her son for emphasis, "JUST HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO GET INTO A DECENT UNIVERSITY WITH SCUM LIKE THAT DRAGGING YOU DOWN?!"

Shikamaru flinched, his knuckles tightening unconsciously, surprising himself at the action. Off to the side, his father noticed it and raised an eyebrow in interest.

--

"Oi," Kiba called out, sitting in front of the television in Lee's room with Naruto, the two playing a heated match of Tekken against one another, "How come you let those guys tag along?"

"Who?" Naruto asked, grimacing as Kiba's King put his Jin into a headlock, earning a sigh from the other teen.

"The lazy guy and chubby, who else?" Kiba replied, cursing as the blond got out of the hold and launched a combo in his face "I mean, last I checked you weren't to popular with their folks."

"Nah, that's just Shikamaru's mom." The blonde replied offhandedly "She's part of the district council, so naturally she thinks I'm a bad influence."

"She ain't wrong," Kiba replied with a smirk, dodging a punch to the shoulder as he delivered a fierce suplex to Jin "Mind you, I'm not one to talk, what with the gang and all."

"S'not like we ever did any harm." Naruto countered, replying with a low combo and dodging to the side "But just because we get into scraps with those Yakuza assholes she thinks we're worse than trash."

"Tell me about it." Kiba muttered, "You wouldn't believe some of the crap my gang and I've been through, but we never once attacked anyone that didn't deserve it." He shook his head, "But of course, little miss proper don't see things that way."

The two sat in silence for a while, the only sound coming from the speakers as they pounded each other relentlessly. "Wouldn't surprise me if she forbids sloth boy from coming over," Kiba muttered, grinning as he'd lowered Naruto's health all the way down to a little sliver, "I know her type."

"I wouldn't worry," Naruto replied, smiling confidently, earning a look from the other teen "Shikamaru's not the type to just forget what matters."

--

"Remember," Mrs. Nara instructed, lowering her voice and turning on her heel, "In this society, it's better to sever all ties with worthless trash than to let yourself get dragged down by it."

CRASH!!

Mrs. Nara paused, turning in shock to gape at her son, who had just punched the wall so hard his fist was starting to bleed. Shikaku raised both eyebrows, but remain where he was, intrigue and surprise battling for control of his face.

"Trash?" Shikamaru muttered, head lowered, either from pain or anger, as his frame trembled "So hanging around with the only person that accepts Choji and me for who we are makes me trash?" he smirked, raising his head to grin wryly at his shocked mother, "Fine, then call me trash if you want."

With that he grabbed the remnants of the bra and stuffed it into his pocket, turning on his heel and walking towards the front door, shooting his father a neutral look, noting the look of respect on the man's face. As the door shut behind him, Mrs. Nara finally snapped out of her shock, sputtering indignantly and looking at her husband.

"Did you see-?! Did you HEAR what he said to me?!" she yelled pointing at the door in outrage "That brat's done more damage than I thought! We have to get him away from our kids as soon as-!"

"Shikamaru hasn't been corrupted," Shikaku countered, cutting his wife off, much to her shock "he's too lazy to let someone mess with his head, and he's too smart to let someone lead him around by the nose, even if he doesn't always show it." He held up a hand for silence, savoring the moment, because he just knew it wasn't going to last "Besides, what you just said may be the way society thinks, but it's not how it works in real life."

The man smiled, eyeing the picture on the wall that depicted three men. The center one was a younger, smaller looking Akimichi Chouza, his arms resting on the shoulders of Shikaku and a blonde haired man, the three decked out in intern clothes as they grinned at the camera.

"Those who break the rules are trash," Shikaku agreed, frowning at the memory of the failed attempt on his son's life, and of how Naruto had gone running off in a rage shortly afterwards "But those who would abandon their friends for personal gain…are LESS than trash."

He eyed his wife neutrally, the woman gazing at him in shock, not used to being on the receiving end of a lecture. "You can't just order men to stop being friends with someone, we'll defy you out of sheer principle." He grinned "Besides, hanging out with Naruto may not have done his grades any good, but it's done wonders to get him up and about."

"I still don't like it," Mrs. Nara huffed, crossing her arms as she looked to the side stubbornly "That boy's a delinquent through and through."

"Was I any better when you met me?" Shikaku asked teasingly, to which he received an embarrassed flush.

Outside the house, Shikamaru leant against the front door, his eyes closed as he listened in on the conversation. 'Never knew you were the type to make speeches Oyaji.' He muttered wryly, before groaning and covering his face with his hand 'Mendokuse, I really did it this time, she's gonna rip my ears off when I get back.'

He glared up at the clouds, which seemed to morph into a familiar, whiskered face, grinning down at him cheerfully. 'Naruto you bastard,' the teen scoffed, stepping away from the door with his hands in his pockets, 'One of these days I'm gonna slug you one right in the-'

--

King fell backwards, courtesy of a Musou Renken to the face, the screen declaring Naruto as the winner as Kiba gaped in shock.

"NO FAIR!" the lycanthrope howled, pointing at his rival accusingly "YOU DISTRACTED ME!"

"Hey,you were the one that brought the subject up, don't go pointing fingers at me." Naruto countered with a smirk "Besides, we both know who the real King of the iron fist is."

"Yeah and it ain't you!" Kiba snapped, the two glaring at each other, only to blink as the door opened, to reveal Lee.

"Ah, here you are!" the older teen greeted, "Gai sensei told me to let you know that school's opening up tomorrow, and that if we want to arrange a meeting we could do so after classes."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Naruto admitted, turning to grin at Kiba, "Whadd'ya say wan-chan? You up for it?"

"Don't call me Wan-chan!" Kiba barked, hackles rising as his eyes flashed, Lee blinking as the two squabbled like little kids. Sighing, the elder teen sent out his bandages to restrain them, holding them apart even as they struggled.

"Arguing like this is getting us nowhere." The track star muttered, "and making any plans with classes looming ahead of us would be foolish, so I think it would be best if we met up with Shikamaru-kun and Chouji-kun after school."

He eyed the two rivals carefully, before releasing them and nodding towards Kiba. "Your wounds have healed, I suggest heading home and meeting up with us later," he turned to Naruto, "What about you? Will you be staying over again?"

"Nah." Naruto replied, grinning gratefully, "I better be heading home, Iruka-sensei's probably poisoned himself with that instant crap he lives on."

Lee nodded, clapping them both on the shoulder with a smile, before leading the way down to the door.

--

"And so I stormed out," Shikamaru muttered, sitting with Chouji at a diner, the large teen only half listening as he divided his attention between his food and the girl serving it, "So I just know I'm gonna be in the doghouse later."

"Nah, you'll be all right," Chouji assured him, swallowing a spoonful of rice "Your mom just needs time ta cool off is all."

"You think so?" Shikamaru wondered, blinking as a bowl of soup was set before him, looking up into the gentle features of the diner operator as she somehow told him it was on the house and would cheer him up, without actually saying a word. 'Odd way of talking.' He noted blankly, blinking to snap himself out of his daze, before tasting the soup. "Hey, this is pretty good!"

"Sat-chan's soup is the greatest!" Chouji contested with a small blush, "Everyone that eats it feels like they can do anything!"

"I'd settle for understanding women." Shikamaru joked wryly; to which Satsuki cheerfully convened she was a cook, not a miracle worker.

"You're always going on about women." Chouji noted, eyeing his friend carefully, "And you're always saying they're troublesome, but surely you have some preferences?"

"Not really," Shikamaru muttered, devouring the soup at his usual sedate pace, "I just don't see the point really, I'm hardly the catch of the day, so my choices are limited as is, why get my hopes up?"

"So you never think of getting married?" Chouji asked, earning a soft blush from Satsuki, which he grinned at.

"Sometimes," Shikamaru admitted "But nothing special, I just wanna marry an average looking girl, raise two kids, a boy and girl, then retire after the kids are grown and play shogi till I die."

"You've really thought everything out." Chouji muttered, sweat dropping at his friend's statement whilst Satsuki giggled nervously "Not many teens think that far ahead."

"What can I say," Shikamaru muttered, rising to his feet with a lazy groan "I just have way too much time on my hands." He nodded to his friend and Satsuki, before turning on his heel, "See you lovebirds around, I've got an assignment to finish up."

"Take care." Chouji called out, before turning back to smile at Satsuki as she tossed another stir-fry into the air.

--

"And just where have you been?" Inuzuka Hana asked, hands on her hips as she gazed down at her Outoto, "You disappear for a whole day and then turn up wearing THAT?"

Kiba growled and picked at the top of one of Gai's tracksuits, wishing the man had better taste in sportswear. "Got into a fight," he admitted, "Stayed over at a friends, since it was too far to come home."

"Another fight?" the elder Inuzuka sighed, "You didn't try fighting with Naruto again did you?"

"No." Kiba replied with a wince, knowing it was half a lie, since he wasn't himself when he did it "Just some punks that figured ganging up on me would make it easier."

"I swear," Hana sighed, turning back to her patient, a pregnant wolfhound due for a checkup "Between you and Benihime here I don't know which is worse."

"How's she doing?" Kiba asked, running his eyes over the beauty of a canine, smiling as she licked his hand, scratching behind her ear.

"A lot better than Kuromaru," Hana replied, "mom threatened to have him spayed if he didn't stop knocking up the patients."

Kiba shot a grin toward the grizzled looking canine that was resting on the couch through the doorway. Kuromaru was widely known as the toughest sunnuvabitch, pun intended, in Konoha, having actually survived being shot twice during gang attacks, losing an eye and ear respectively. The massive canine growled at the teen in a friendly manner, seeming to raise his eyebrows in a manner oddly akin to the Fonze. It was clear he wasn't too worried about the situation, and would likely do it again given the chance.

'Amen to that brother.' Kiba chuckled, scratching Benihime one last time before walking into the living room, past the reclining Kuromaru and up to his room to prepare for tomorrow.

--

Across town, more specifically, in the boy's dorm of North Konoha Gakuen, Hyuuga Neji sat in a lotus stance; his palms face up on his knees as he breathed slowly, drawing out the process for a whole minute, before exhaling in the same fashion.

It was one of the most basic of training techniques for Hamon, but it was also one which he discovered could help relax the practitioner, especially when coupled with meditation exercises.

He frowned as the door opened, admitting his roommate, who grinned at the Hyuuga as he strode forwards. "You've been at this for a while now." Saotome noted, sounding impressed, "I envy you, I can't go more than five minutes without my legs falling asleep."

"It's merely a matter of practice." Neji replied, not opening his eyes "By properly distributing ones weight, and timing the breath just right, one can go for hours without moving from this position."

"You saying I'm fat?" Saotome asked, mild annoyance filling the teen's tone, Neji's silence all the reply the teen received "That's not fair, there was no need for that."

When the stoic Hyuuga refused to answer, the other teen sighed and made for the wardrobe they shared, pulling out some pajamas. "I'm taking a shower…wanna scrub my back?"

The look of mortification on the Hyuuga's face was well worth the desk lamp that was hurled at the teen. 'Still a prude is see.' the Hyuuga's roommate chuckled, slipping out of the uniform and sighing as the steam from the shower filled the room, 'Ah, well, wouldn't be Neji if he wasn't.'

--

That night, each teen lay awake, gazing up at their ceilings as they tried to sort through their thoughts.

Shikamaru ran the current scenario through his head numerous times; tying to see if there was anything he may have missed. Needless to say he would awake the next morning with a headache, as there were really FAR too many possible theories you could tie into Hinata's kidnapping.

Chouji wondered how they could pull this off without anyone getting seriously hurt. He didn't want to lose any friends the way they'd almost lost Naruto. He also wondered if Sat-chan made it back to Mahora all right, smiling at the phone number and Email address she'd left him.

Kiba growled as he recalled how the mysterious teen had led him around by the nostrils, vowing revenge, as no one used him as their own personal errand boy. He also suppressed a snicker at the telltale panting sounds that issued from the kennels, knowing that Kuromaru was at it again.

Lee sat in a meditation stance, trying to clear his thoughts for the following morning, as he figured it was best to remain prepared. This was actually a regular routine he put himself through for track meets, so he would awake the next morning refreshed and ready for action.

Naruto, however, was leaning against the frame of his window, gazing up at the waning moon as he thought of the girl he'd failed to protect, thrice now, Hinata's image seeming to gaze down at him, smiling gently.

'I'll save you, Hinata.' He vowed, clenching his fist as he eyed the moon carefully, 'Even if I got to go through the whole city to do it!'

--

The next morning found the group walking as one through the gates of East Konoha Gakuen, drawing a few stares from the surrounding student body. Several noted the fact that Kiba and Naruto were walking side by side, the latter with his bag over one shoulder as the other walked with one hand in his pockets. Shikamaru's lidded gaze was oddly alert, and Chouji wasn't munching down on anything. Even Lee was acting odd, walking at a sedate pace alongside the younger teens, rather than his usual half-jogging pace.

Needless to say, everyone began formulating their own interpretations on the situation, with no less than thirty assumptions being made before lunch break.

"Can you believe this?" Shikamaru muttered, scowling down at the courtyard as he leant back against the fence, "So far they've accused us of starting a gang, an extortion racket, are grouping for an orgy, and best of all, formed a stinking boy band."

"The hell is wrong with people?" Naruto muttered, shaking his head in disgust, "I mean c'mon, a Boy Band? Don't they think we have any self respect?"

"Yeah," Kiba agreed, nose wrinkling in a very canine way "And the only way I'd take part in an orgy was if I was the only guy."

"Can we change the subject?" Lee asked, flushing slightly from Kiba's Comment "We only have a short time before the end of lunch, what should we do?"

"First off, I say we get Shino to help out." Naruto stated confidently "He really helped us out before, and he seems an okay guy."

"Shino? The bug guy?" Kiba wondered, shivering slightly "I dunno, that guy rubs me the wrong way."

"That aside," Shikamaru muttered "His ability to gather Intel would definitely come in handy, so we should try to recruit him."

"Sounds interesting." A low voice opined, causing the group to jump as Shino appeared from around the corner "I wasn't trailing you, I usually eat up here by myself for privacy, you just happened to catch me at the right time."

"So are you in?" Shikamaru asked, Naruto and Lee making room for the teen as he sat down, "I should warn you, we could be going up against the mafia if they can pull off something like this."

"There is an old saying in my family," Shino replied, "Even if the opponent is as insignificant as an ant; don't underestimate them." He nodded as one of his beetles crawled out from under his collar, "Your group appears to be interesting, I wouldn't mind helping out again."

"YATTA!" Naruto cheered, wrapping his arm around the shocked teen's shoulders, "I knew we could count on you Shino! You may seem creepy, but you've got a good heart!"

'Creepy?' Shino repeated, sounding confused and surprised as he looked at the grinning blonde, 'Should I feel comforted or annoyed?'

"Glad that's settled then," Shikamaru noted, patting his pants to get the dust off them as he stood up, "We'll meet up after school to discuss our plans, I don't feel like being chewed out for skipping class."

"Can't we wait for a bit?" Kiba asked, looking over his shoulder, where the girl's gym class was doing laps around the track, "I mean, the views pretty ni-BLAGH!"

Kiba spluttered as shook himself, water dripping down his face as he gazed up at the culprit in shock. Shino, face imperceptible behind the high collar and thick glasses, lowered the now empty container to his side. "Do unto others you would to yourself." He quoted, turning on his heel "I highly doubt you'd enjoy being spied upon any more than they do."

"This is why I don't like the guy." Kiba growled, glaring at Shino's back as the teen walked away, Naruto and Chouji snickering in the background as Lee coughed discreetly into his fist.

--

"Anko-sensei's acting weird," one of the female students whispered, gazing at the normally energetic sensei as she leant against the wall, muttering to herself, looking like she had a fever, "You think she's ill?"

"More likely hung over." The other girls sniffed, "You know what they say about her right?"

"That's not very nice." Another girl chastised, "I mean sure she' s a little…odd, and dresses flashy, but that doesn't mean she's a…you know."

"Then what else would you call it?" the second girl snapped, "She struts around in short shorts and a top that just BARELY covers her, and hardly does anything to ward off the boys, but if WE try to copy her she drags us off by our hair!"

"We ARE her responsibility," the third girl opined, "She's just trying to protect us you know."

"Protect us from what?" the second girl snorted, "From becoming washed up, booty-shaking tramps like her?" she sniffed, only to blink as she realized Anko had disappeared "Where'd she go?" the teen wondered, only to blink as a light hissing reached her ears, eyes widening as something coiled around her neck.

"Little girl thinks she's all grown up does she?" Anko purred, blowing into the shocked teen's ear, "Well then, let's just see how grown you are."

The girl's shrieks were cut off as an invisible, serpentine hide wrapped around her mouth, muffled cries turning to moans, as the rest of the group lay on the floor, eyes wide and blank as a low hissing filled the air.

--

Naruto yawned; leaning back on his seat as he only half listened to Iruka rambling on about the history of Meiji government. Shikamaru was dozing lightly, Chouji secretly munching away at his snacks, waiting for the final bell so they could meet up with the others.

'So frikking boring…' the blonde yawned, covering his mouth as he put his feet up on the desk, 'I shoulda trashed the place more when I fought with Mizuki.'

"Naruto?" Iruka called out, a vein pulsing on his brow as he stood with one hand on his hip, text book in the other "Care to answer the question I just asked?" The-long suffering instructor sighed as the blonde shook his head, "Then would you at least TRY to pay attention?" he asked, before returning to the lecture about the murder of Okubo Toshimichi.

Naruto nodded lazily, only to abruptly stiffen as a jolt passed through his body, causing him sit up straight at his desk, startling the rest of the class as they weren't used to him paying such close attention.

'Something isn't right.' The blonde wondered, eyeing the surroundings warily, as if expecting to be ambushed 'I feel like something's watching me.'

He blinked as something bumped against his foot, looking down in shock at the serpent as it slithered over his shoes towards the desk next to him. "THE HELL?!" he yelped, startling everyone as he leapt on top of his chair, only to blink in horror at the sight before him.

Snakes were everywhere, wrapped around necks and hanging from the edges of the blackboard, one was even posing as a turban on top of Iruka's skull, the instructor unaware of it as he shot his 'favorite' student a look. "Naruto!" the instructor yelled, slapping the desk, the serpent atop his skull tensing "How many times have I told…you…?"

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled, leaping across the room to grab the man as he passed out, the serpent removing its' fangs from the man's neck and lunging at the blonde instead, only for Hurricane Heart to grab it and crush the head.

"The hell's going on here?!" Shikamaru cursed, stepping gingerly towards the front of the class, Chouji following him carefully, trying not to agitate the snakes, as their classmates fell over unconscious "Why the hell didn't anyone else notice these things?!"

"The hell should I know?!" Naruto yelled, supporting Iruka in his arms, blinking as the door to the classroom snapped open, revealing a breathless Kiba and Shino.

"So you guys are the same." Kiba noted, wincing at the sheer number of serpents as they gathered round, "Dammit this is bad, was there a break out at the zoo?"

"Highly unlikely," Shino replied, stepping forwards and grabbing a serpent by its' head, holding it up for all to see "Look closer, you can see through it."

"A Stand?" Shikamaru wondered, "But why so many snakes? I thought you could only control one?"

"My guess it is a collective mind, like my Alien Ant Farm." Shino suggested, eyeing the classroom calmly "Judging by the consistency and multitude however, I think we can verify that the user must still be on campus."

"Another student?" Shikamaru wondered, frowning as a serpent tried to sneak up on him, only to sink into his shadow and disappear "Mendokuse, what are the odds they're acting on their own?"

"Who cares?" Naruto growled, standing up with Iruka in his arms, the man's limp arms dangling to the ground, the teen's coat rustling in a sudden updraft "Whoever they are they just bought a one way ticket on the Uzumaki hand basket express!"

--

Things have really hit the fan now.

Will Naruto get revenge for iruka?

What has hapened to Anko?

Find out in the next installment of Naruto no Kimiyona Bouken!

R&R-Daze!

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for taking so long, mina-domo, as compensation, expect a new Stand Stat at the end of the episode de gozaru,

That said, on with the show!

_HEAVEN OR HELL?_

_LET'S RAWK!!_

* * *

Chapter twelve: Poison.

"I'm no expert," Shikamaru muttered, lifting up one of Iruka's eyelids and checking his pulse, "But from what little I can make out Iruka sensei isn't in any real danger yet."

"How can you tell?" Naruto asked, hovering behind the teen concernedly, his fingers digging into the Nara's shoulders painfully.

"First off:" Shikamaru muttered, shrugging the blonde off, "The snake that bit him didn't strike me as a particularly poisonous one, so at the very least we're looking at paralysis, possibly coma inducing poison." He held up two fingers, "Second, if we can locate the user, it stands to reason that defeating them will lift the effect of the stand."

"Provided that we CAN locate them." Chouji muttered, "The place is crawling with these things, how're we supposed to find them?"

"Allow me to handle that." Shino muttered, holding up his arms as a low humming filled the air, "If it's merely reconnaissance, my stand is best suited to these situations."

"We're counting on you, Shino." Naruto stated encouragingly, the silent teen nodding his acceptance and frowning as he sent out the bugs.

"Keep guard." Shikamaru muttered, summoning his stand and swatting a few serpents away "Shino's stand is a hive mind, which means he's vulnerable while he's controlling it, we need to keep these things away until he's ready."

Kiba grunted and shifted form, his jacket falling off to hang around his waist like some sort of sash, "Kuso…what is it with all this crap, why don't they face us head on?!"

"Probably testing the waters." Shikamaru muttered, "Checking to see just how strong the opposition is."

"Either that or they're just plain psycho." Chouji noted offhandedly, his stand swatting a pile of serpents away with ease.

--

Atop the school water tower, a figure sat, long slender legs kicking lightly at the air as she hummed a tune to herself.

"Such a nice, warm day." The figure noted, stretching like a cat as a large serpent coiled around her like a living belt, "And so much young blood cooped up inside…what a waste." She blinked as a low humming filled the air, the serpent lifting it's head to ere the insect hovering just above them with it's beady eyes. "Hm? A spy?" she noted, grinning manically as the serpent lashed out, devouring the beetle swiftly, "Guess I can have some fun after all!"

--

"ARRGGH!!" Shino screamed, falling to the ground, his head gripped tightly between his hands, gasping heavily as the others crowded round him in concern.

"Shino!" Naruto yelled, placing a hand on the teen's back, checking him over for a snake bite, his eyes wide "What happened, are you alright?!"

"H-hai," the normally stoic teen admitted, bringing himself under control shakily "Sumimasen, one of my Stand-beetles was eaten, the shock transferred over to me."

"So basically, what ever happens to a stand happens to the user." Shikamaru muttered with a shiver "Remind me never to let MINE get eaten."

"We have bigger problems than that," Shino pointed out shakily, rising to his feet with Naruto's assistance "it seems that other than Lee-sempai, we are the only students still unaffected."

"Fuck, so they WERE looking for us." Kiba snarled, swatting a flying serpent aside "They knew only other stand users could see the fucking things!"

"Also," Shino continued, eyeing the infested classroom warily "While I did locate the culprit, my beetle was devoured before it could identify them."

"But you DO know where they are, right?" Naruto asked, crushing a serpent beteen each of his stand's hands, even as Shino nodded confidently.

"The school water tower." The stoic teen revealed, his voice less steadilyhaky as the shock wore off "The user was sitting on top of it."

"That's all I needed to hear!" Naruto yelled with a smirk, grabbing a nearby desk and hurling it at the window, leaping through the shattered frame with a yell.

"BAKA!" Shikamaru yelled running after his hotheaded friend "WE'RE ON THE THIRD…floor…" he trailed off as he saw Naruto land like a cat, Hurricane Heart vanishing as he stood up. 'I'm not getting paid enough for this shit.' The Nara decided, before following the others as they made use of Naruto's impromptu exit.

--

Sasuke sighed as he made his way down the hall, one hand holding his notebooks, the other resting inside his pants pocket. The raven-haired teen had just attended a physics lecture and was in the mood for something to eat. Unfortunately, this meant he had to walk through a veritable horde of suitors that were, as always, vying for his attention.

Not that the girls at North Konoha Gakuen weren't pretty mind you, it's just that the Uchiha had the sexual drive of a dead tortoise, coupled with years of suppressing his emotions to fit the status quo demanded of his family…what was left of it anyways.

"Oi, Sasuke." A voice called out, drawing his attention to a figure lounging at a table, chin length white hair framing a face with eyes akin to a dead fish, set above shark like teeth, "Brought the harem to lunch? Nice."

"Baka." Sasuke countered, sitting next to the teen with a grunt, the horde keeping back to eye him as he ate, "You're looking awfully chipper today."

"Just looking forward to the swim meet this evening." The taller teen opined, his uniform open to reveal a skintight muscle shirt. He grinned at the Uchiha, a straw clenched between his teeth as he sipped at a canteen, "What about you, you're looking as depressing as always."

"My affairs are none of your concern, Suigetsu." Sasue replied crisply "But if you must know it's because I've had to deal with far too many pains in the neck at the same time."

"Poor baby." Suigetsu teased, ignoring the death glare the Uchiha sent his way, grinning the entire time "Want me to take the load off?"

"The day I let someone else handle my affairs is the day I consent to dating one of those hormonally driven stalkers." Sasuke replied, tilting his head slightly in the direction of a group of fan girls, who waved at him.

"Harsh." Suigetsu snickered, "but seriously, what's your deal? You got them drooling just for breathing, tell me that doesn't turn you on."

"I prefer a girl with a little more substance thank you." Sasuke replied crisply, finishing his rice ball and standing up, "Not some dime a dozen groupie you can find around every corner." He eyed the clock mounted on the wall "You'd best get a move on, the bus for the meet leaves in a few minutes."

"Yeah, yeah." Suigetsu muttered, sipping away at his canteen with a lazy air, "See ya around, Sasuke-chan."

Abruptly, the water in his bottle evaporated into steam, causing him to yelp and drop it as he almost scalded himself. "Jeez! Testy much?" he muttered, eyeing the retreating form with a snort, "Must be that time of the month for pretty boys."

--

"Was that really necessary?" a rasping voice asked, stopping Sasuke just outside the canteen. Sasuke looked up into the pale features of the figure above him, framed by long black hair and frowned. "No need to glare at me so, but is it wise to flaunt your abilities like that?"

"Probably not," Sasuke conceded "but I hate having to put up with his bad taste in humor." He eyed the man in the suit carefully, before looking around to ensure they were alone "The package was secured this morning, there's no need to worry."

"But of course." The figure applauded "I knew I could rely on you to handle it for me." He smiled down at the boy in a friendly manner "You truly are a credit to the school, Sasuke-kun."

"No need for flattery, Orochimaru-sensei." The Uchiha replied, tone respectful and face neutral "I'm just glad I could help." He bowed to the man "Please excuse me now, I have a class to attend."

"But of course." Orochimaru stated dismissing him with a wave "Can't have this years star pupil be tardy."

He watched as the young man disappeared into the crowd, only to smirk as he leant against the wall, some seniors stepping out of the cafeteria. "Ah, Sakon-kun," he greeted, nodding at a pair of twins, "And Ukon-kun, how've things been since that last session."

"No problems." The twins replied in disturbing unison, looking at the man respectfully "Is there anything we can help you with?"

"Not at all," Orochimaru replied, patting Sakon on the shoulder before walking down the hall "Just thought I'd say hello, do give Tayuya-kun my regards, ne?"

Sakon nodded, before walking away with his twin in tow. As they rounded the corner, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, opening it to reveal a familiar scrawl.

_Assemble at the sixth music room on the sixth floor during sixth period. Take all necessary precautions._

"A meeting? Now?" Sakon wondered with a raised eyebrow, handing the sheet over to his twin, "You think something's up?"

"Must have to do with Sasuke's latest mission." Ukon noted, the paper suddenly falling to shreds in his hands, falling into a nearby bin, "No matter, I haven't had a chance to cut loose in a while."

Sakon smirked, the two walking side by side as their made their way to their next class. "Looks like we're playing war games, eh, aniki?"

--

"KUSO!" Naruto swore, swatting aside several vipers with his stand's arm as they tried to latch onto his face, "Where're all these bastards coming from?"

"The water tower!" Shikamaru replied sharply , his shadow providing a perfect defense from the enemies crawling on the ground "The bastard's got a birds eye view of the courtyard from up there! He knows we're coming!"

"Then what're we doing screwing around with these bastards?!" Kiba swore, vivisecting another swathe as they lunged at him, lips drawn back in a feral snarl "We gotta get up there!"

"Easier said than done!" the Nara countered "This is the second fastest route to the tower we've tried taking, only to be ambushed, this means that the opponent can not only see us, but knows the layout of the school." He scowled as he slapped a spectral cobra out of the way "I think the user may be a member of the faculty."

"So we're fighting a teacher?" Chouji wondered, grimacing as his stand crushed a group of rattlers with ease "We better not get detention for this!"

"Losing track here!" Naruto ground out with a snarl, glaring down the path to the tower angrily as he kept the reptiles at bay "Anyone got any bright ideas?"

"We split up." Shino opined, his stand forming a solid cloud of insects around them to prevent any blindspots "Draw attention away from each other whilst making for the tower."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Shikamaru agreed retracting his stand and looking at the others "Any objections?" he nodded at the silence "Then…BREAK!"

The group scattered, Naruto and Kiba leaping onto the rooftops, Shino vanishing in a swirl of bugs, Shikamaru sinking into his own shadow and Chouji using his stand to break the lock on a door and bust inside a building.

--

"Pretty clever little rodents." The figure on the roof noted, smiling coyly as the serpent coiled around her, "Let's see if they can traverse the maze."

She smiled as Kiba and Naruto lunged from rooftop to rooftop, barely touching down before kicking off again, her serpents falling behind at every turn. "Let's greet them shall we?" she asked, a dull hiss her only response.

--

Kiba shivered, some animal instinct sending a jolt down his spine that set his hackles on end. "Naruto!" he called out, after eyeing the sky above them and leaping to the side "Watch out!"

Naruto leapt to the side, just as a hail of what appeared to be needles rained down on the roof from where they'd last been standing. He cursed as one tore through the sleeve of his coat, missing the skin as it passed through. "The hell was that?!" he swore looking down at the needles in confusion, "Acupuncture needles?"

"It came from the roof!" Kiba yelled back, stepping around a patch as he bent one he'd caught mid dodge, "Think there's more than one guy?"

"Only one way to find out." Naruto replied, only to blink as a dull hissing reached his ears. Looking down in horror, he let out a yelp as the needles slowly morphed into snakes, spitting and hissing at the duo as they slithered nearer.

"DAMMIT! MORE SNAKES!" Kiba swore, leaping back as the serpents lunged for his legs "This is really starting to piss me-DUCK AND COVER!"

More needles rained down, the projectile arch stemming from the roof of the tower, were a figure could be seen with its arm raised. "Bastard's toying with us!" Kiba snarled, leaping aside and dashing towards the tower in a sidestepping manner, Naruto taking a massive leap using Hurricane Heart to catch up to the lupine warrior.

"Think the school board would mind if I smashed the thing?" the blonde asked, Hurricane Heart's gauntlet rotating as he spoke, wind rushing around it as Kiba grinned ferally.

"What they don't know won't hurt em," the lycanthrope replied snidely, glaring up at the figure on the roof "just make sure it hurts HIM!"

"OSSU!" Naruto roared, leaping upwards alongside Kiba, clearing the tower and preparing to level the figure perched atop it with their next move, only to gape shock.

"Hey boys," Anko greeted, pointing her arm at them, a massive serpent coiled around it, it's gaping maw aimed right at them "Glad you could join the party."

--

Chouji swore as he dashed down the hallway, the snakes following in his wake weren't particularly fast, but then neither was the Akimichi himself.

Slamming his stand's fist into a set of lockers sent the whole lot tumbling like a set of dominoes, collapsing behind him and slowing the serpents down further as he took a flying leap through the window at the end of the hall.

"Hate…sports…" he gasped, wiping his brow as he got to his feet, breathing heavily from the mad rush down the infested corridor "Bad for…digestion…"

He blinked as he realized the area he landed in was devoid of serpents, whilst placing him only a few feet away from the tower. Looking around, he prayed that he'd caught the user by surprise, before making a dash for the ladder, only to freeze as a sound akin to arrows tore through the air, followed by a familiar pair of voices yelling in pain, gaping in horror as Naruto fell off the tower.

--

"Well now," Anko noted coyly, her foot planted on Kiba's canine skull as she smiled playfully at him "If it isn't the pervy puppy, long time no see."

"Not long enough you psycho bitch!" Kiba growled out between clenched teeth, only for Anko to push his face into the tower's surface with her foot.

"Ah-ah-ah!" the purple-haired instructor chided, "That's no way to address a faculty member," she increased the preassure on his head, "Especially considering the position your in."

Kiba snarled and tried to raise himself, muscles straining in his arms and neck as he brought his face out of the dent it had made. 'How the hell much does this bitch weigh?!' he wondered, 'For that matter…why does everything seem so…?"

"Figured it out?" Anko asked, the serpent coiling around her as she smirked, "The poison my serpents and needles can deliver are not limited to simply killing, though you WILL die in the long run." She leaned forward slightly, "You see, there wouldn't be any fun if you just died outright, oh no, I like a little variety in my diet."

"You're a…sick piece of work…bitch!" Kiba ground out, grimacing as he tried to raise himself. Even with his stand active he could feel his body shutting down, nerves deadening as the feeling left them.

"Such a shame about Uzumaki." Anko pouted, a finger at her lips as she eyed the side of the tower "He was so energetic too…and I like 'em spunky."

"You're sick!" Kiba snapped, only to howl as she drove her heel into the small of his back. He glared up at her, only to blink at the sight of her eyes. They seemed dazed, the pupils unfocussed, her face flushed as if she was burning a fever. 'Kuso!' he realized, senses sharpening instantly as he renewed his efforts to escape from under her heel 'She's hypnotized! Just like I was!'

--

Naruto cursed as he fell, spitting out the needle he'd caught in his teeth even as he felt Chouji's stand catch him. "Naruto!" the large teen called out, supporting his friend as his stand faded "Are you okay? Answer me!"

"Do I LOOK okay to you?" Naruto asked sarcastically, gripping a needle and ripping it out with a hiss "Damn, that thing fires like a machine-gun…and I don't feel too hot either."

"It's most likely poison." Lee noted, appearing beside them at a jog, his bandages writhing about like the serpents they'd just sliced to ribbons "Make sure you keep up the Hamon beat, it'll purge most of it until we can find an antidote."

"Been doing that since I charged the tower." Naruto muttered, pointing at his wounds for emphasis "It's not working, I think whatever she got me with is messing with my healing factor."

"An anti-coagulant perhaps." Shino noted, appearing in a swarm of bugs to the side "I have insects positioned around the tower, they will alert me to what's going on."

"I don't see Kiba or Shikamaru." Naruto noted with a grimace, placing a hand to a wound on his neck as he sat up "Are they up there?"

"Kiba is caught." Shino replied in his usual flat tone, though he was frowning slightly "However, I have been unable to deduce Shikamaru-san's location."

"Probably hiding and waiting for her to drop her guard." Naruto muttered, hissing as he pulled out the last of the senbon and hurling it away, "All of which doesn't do us any good! Those damn needles and snakes are waiting for us!"

"What do we do?" Shino wondered calmly, keeping an eye out for slithering terrors, "As things stand this is the worst possible situation. How do I know this? Because not only does the enemy have a hostage, but Naruto is poisoned."

"Rub it in why don't you…" the blonde hissed, staggering to his feet, only for Chouji to support him as he staggered, almost falling to his knees.

"Naruto…" the bulky teen suggested concernedly "Maybe you should take it easy…moving about could make the poison spread."

"And sitting around waiting leaves me open for the snakes." Naruto shot back, grimacing as he caught the tail end of hisses drawing near, only to blink as the shadow of one of the pillars deepened and Shikamaru's stand rose out of it, depositing it's master before them.

"Calm down, I have a plan." The Nara assured the energetic blonde "Shino, You and I will provide back-up." He nodded to Lee "With Naruto out, you're our best fighter, but you'll need something to take the heat off you." He nodded to Chouji "You up for it?"

Chouji nodded, clenching a fist "I won't let anything past me!" he assured his friend, stand forming behind him and gripping the pillar tightly in it's massive hand.

--

Anko staggered as the tower shook, actually leaning to one side with a metallic grown. 'What was that?' she wondered dazedly, stepping off a panting Kiba, still in lupine form out of desperation 'Are those rats trying somethi-!'

Her trail of thought cut off as the tower collapsed, leaping from it towards the roof of the gym with a curse, even as bandages shot out to restrain her. "Hoh?" the instructor noted, eyeing her captor in amusement "So little Lee-kun's into bondage is he?" she smiled "I'll have to savor you later."

"T-that's improper!" Lee stammered, face turning red as he fought to keep his attention, kind of hard considering that Anko was writhing in the restraints in a rather…disturbing manner. "Please behave yourself…Anko-sensei!"

"Why?" Anko asked, pouting slightly "I'm always being nice and behaving, why can't I cut loose once in a while?" she grinned as the bandages burst off her, the serpent coiled around her hissing in defiance.

"Kuso!" Lee cursed, rolling out of the path of the fangs even as Anko descended on him, laughing madly. A large form stepped in front of the teen, Chouji glaring as his stand stood before him, arms crossed defensively.

"Useless!" Anko called out, the serpent around her arm lashing out and spitting several senbon at the teen, only for them to shatter as the stand swatted them out of the way, leaving itself open "Got you!"

She lunged forward, the serpent snapping out and coiling around the Akimichi, biting down on his neck, causing her to smirk. "Suman," she offered, walking towards him as the beast tightened it's hold "I may like 'em big, but not family size."

"Good to know…" Chouji shot back, Anko's eyes widening as his stand grabbed the serpent's neck and held it tight "Good thing I have Sat-chan…or I'd be pissed off right now."

Anko choked as the imprint of a hand formed on her throat, clutching at it desperately as she fought to remain upright. "K-Kisama-!" she spat out, eyeing the husky teen before her angrily "I bit you! Why are you-?!"

"Not poisoned?" Shikamaru called out, stepping out of the shadows with his hands in his pockets "Little something Chouji and I kept to ourselves, just in case we ran into any one else like Kiba that'd been brainwashed."

He nodded to Chouji, who stepped into the light to reveal his skin had turned a dark black with a tinge of red. "Not bad huh? Turns out Chouji's stand, Smash Mouth, has the ability to absorb nutrients from various substances and alter Chouji's body with them." He thumbed towards the teen "In this case, the element that makes up a third of the human body: Carbon."

"But where could you-?!" Anko began, only to trail off as she eyed the crushed remains of the water tower in disbeleif "U-Usou-!"

"Hontou." Shikamaru countered, face set in a neutral scowl as he stepped forwards "A whole tower's worth of Carbon, that's more than enough to make anyone's skin thick enough to hold off your scaly friend's bite." He sighed "So how's about you call off this little play date? Kiba and Naruto need medical attention."

--

Anko glowered at the teen, only to close her eyes, chuckling insanely in a way the assembled teens didn't like. "Call it off?" she repeated "but I'm having so much fun…and who cares if the mutt needs a vet, he'll be dead before sunset either way."

"Nani?!" Shikamaru began, only to wince as Kiba let out a howl, twisting where he lay at Shino's side, back arched and eyes wild "Kiba!"

"Such cries…" Anko moaned, rubbing her palms across her sides as she sighed "Such wonderful howls, he must be experiencing the utmost of pain…"

"You crazy psycho bitch!" Shikamaru yelled, looking the woman in the eyes "Don't you get it! You're being controlled! Stop to before you do something you'll regret!"

"Regret?" Anko asked, head titling oddly to the side as she eyed the boy "Regret did you say? Too late for that boy." She chuckled oddly "Far too late…so many things, all too late…"

"Shikamaru…" Chouji hissed, shooting his friend a look as he tightened his grip on a suddenly writhing serpent "I can't keep this up much longer!"

'Kuso…' Shikamaru cursed, 'Chouji's ability only lasts so long before he has to change back, and we already used all the carbon in the tower.' He shook himself, stepping forwards to put a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder "Sensei!" he implored "Snap out of it! we need-!"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Anko snapped, kicking out and nailing the Nara right between the legs, bringing him down with a choked scream "DON'T FREAKING TOUCH ME!"

Chouji cursed as the serpent grew stronger, gritting his teeth, veins bulging in his skull as he tried to help his stand hold the beast down by grabbing it's head as well. Lee, sensing his distress, sent bandages to restrain Anko, bracing himself to send a burst of Hamon energy through them, only to blink as Naruto staggered to his feet. "Naruto-kun?" the elder teen wondered, watching as the poisoned teen staggered forwards "Careful! She's not herself!"

--

Naruto didn't respond to his sempai's warning, he merely pressed onwards, a hand holding his rebelling stomach as he fought the urge to puke, knowing he'd probably pass out afterwards, and then he'd be screwed. That, and they'd lose whatever chance remained for Kiba to get a cure too.

As it was, only the Hamon had kept the blonde from joining his comrade on the floor, screaming his lungs out. Even so, his whole body felt like it had been set alight from the inside, the joints threatening to lock at any moment.

He stumbled towards Anko, who even now was holding her head, writhing and twisting as she screamed at them incoherently, thrashing around and snapping her teeth like a serpent herself. Grabbing her hand as it flailed past, the blonde winced as it's twin scratched at his cheek, his other hand grabbing the back of the obviously distressed instructor's head and pulling it forward.

Lee blinked, Shikamaru blinked, even the normally unemotional Shino blinked at the sight before them, Shikamaru looking up from nursing his balls to gape at the absurd sight before him.

Anko's eyes widened, her thrashing stopping as her muscles relaxed, the odd spasm running through her shoulders now and then. Naruto held her close, teeth biting into her neck as he growled, a low, almost animalistic sound, before stepping back, looking the stunned instructor in the eye.

"Wake the fuck up…" he growled, blue eyes cold and commanding as they drilled into her own with the intensity of a laser drill "Mitarashi Anko!"

He held her gaze for a moment, and then slumped, eyes shutting as he fell backwards off the roof of the gym, Anko still rigid in his hold.

--

"Naruto-kun!" Lee yelled, summoning back his bandages, knowing he wouldn't make it in time, only to stagger as the serpent thrashed, throwing itself off Chouji and leaping off the roof with it's master. The teens watched in awe as it coiled around the duo, softening their fall by using itself as a cushion, fading away with a dull hiss to reveal Anko with Naruto's head in her lap, looking down at him oddly.

"Baka…" the instructor muttered, eyeing the unconscious, paling teen as she stroked his cheek "No wonder Iruka's so high strung…so damn impulsive…" She smiled, a tired, grateful smile as the others touched down around them "Baka…"

"Sensei…" Shino called out, stepping towards the woman as his cloud of bugs dissipated out of sight "Naruto and Kiba are still poisoned…the antidote?"

Anko blinked, eyeing the stoic teen for a moment, before nodding "I see…leave it to me."

The group blinked, only to gape as she raised Naruto's face to her own and frenched him. Lee's hair spasmed as Chouji's jaw dropped, Shikamaru's eyes actually opened fully as Shino's glasses cracked. "S-SENSEI!" Lee exclaimed, standing behind the woman as she continued the motion "IS THIS ANYTIME TO BE DOING THAT?!" he shook himself "I mean-! Something like that, between teacher and student!"

"Keep your tracksuit on mini-Gai." Anko muttered, releasing the blonde with an audible pop, licking her lips and leaving a trail of red "I'm just giving him some of my blood to counter the poison." She smirked coyly "I'm not about to be poisoned by my own Stand."

"But…if that's the case…" Lee stammered, eyes wide and confused as he tried to make sense of the situation "Then why not just use a normal transfusion?"

"I'll be doing that for the pervy puppy." Anko assured the teen, smirking as she traced Naruto's cheek with a sly smile "As for why, well…" she leaned in close "What can I say? Kid taste's good."

'Naruto, you are one lucky sunuvabitch.' The group thought as one, Shino eyeing the still twitching for of Kiba as the wild teen started panting like a puppy, running around in circle on the floor, chasing his own tail.

--

"I'm so glad to see everyone made it." Orochimaru noted with a smile "It's been so long since our little band got together to practice I was getting lonely."

"So what're we practicing this time?" Ukon asked, sitting next to his twin atop a desk, a smirk on their faces "I hope its fun."

"Quite fun." Orochimaru assured him, smiling at the group of four boys and a girl, all dressed in North Konoha Gakuen uniforms "In fact, I may hazard to say…the ULTIMATE performance."

--

Things are getting serious with the kidnappers,

What devious plans are they concocting?

Just what is this Ultimate Performance?

tune in next time to find out!

Also, at long last, Chouji's stand!

Stand: Smash Mouth

User: Akimichi Chouji

Power: A Speed: D Range: C

Staying: C Precision: E Learning: B

1- Can absorb nutrients from surroundings to increase power.

2- Can modify body depending on Nutrients absorbed.

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad

E: Poor

Note: Appearance wise, if you couldn;t guess from the warcry, it resembles Raoh from Fist of the North Star, only with Potemkin's gauntlets + armor.

R&R-Daze!

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for taking so long to update, I recently concluded Hokage no Issan and it's really waiped me out.

No new Stand stats till end of chappie, plus, no new stands revealed this chappie either.

_HEAVEN OR HELL?_

_LET'S RAWK!!!_

* * *

North Konoha Gakuen.

"Everyone infected seems to be doing fine." Shikamaru noted, entering Gai's dojo, which had become a sort of base of operations for the group, with a resigned grunt "The police suspect it was a result of gas poisoning from a main that burst when the tower fell." He snorted "Looks like busting the place up served a purpose for once."

"Still…" Shino noted, sitting with his arms and legs crossed on the floor "It's a good thing no-one was harmed."

"Speak for yourself!" Kiba snapped, shooting a glare at Anko, who was sitting next to a confused Naruto "That bitch near killed me!"

"Oh? You're still not sore about that are you?" Anko noted, smiling slyly "Such a stubborn puppy…"

"I'll show ya stubborn!" Kiba snapped, leaping forwards to strangle the woman, only to be held back by Lee and Shino.

"Come on man!" Naruto tried placatingly; actually concerned that Anko would summon her snakes again and mess the place up "She was being controlled! Like you were!"

"That's right," Anko agreed, hugging Naruto with one arm, pressing the back of his head against her bosom "I was being controlled, you can't be mad at me..." She nuzzled the blonde's hair "Ne? Naruto?"

Naruto would have responded but the surge of jealousy coming off his friends froze him in his tracks. He didn't know why but they'd been shooting him odd looks and muttering something about 'animal magnetism' ever since he'd woken up after the attack, except for Shino, who didn't seem to care much.

"Anyway," Shikamaru muttered, Kiba thrashing from where he lay confined in Lee's bandages "Anko-sensei, perhaps you could shed some light on this for us?" The mood grew somber as everyone sat up to attention, even Kiba ceased thrashing about to listen "You claim that you've had your stand for a while, but you didn't attack us until yesterday…" the Nara frowned "Care to enlighten us?"

Anko's face was decidedly neutral, looking at the collected teens before sighing, shaking her head grimly. "This isn't exactly a pleasant memory for me." She admitted "Hell, even drunk I know better than to start talking about it, so not even my drinking buddies know."

"Anything you know could be a big help." Shikamaru insisted, looking at the teacher imploringly "These guys obviously know about stands and clearly had information on you, so you may be our best bet at finding out where they're based."

Anko frowned, blinking as Naruto put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly "You don't have to say anything against your will." The blonde assured her "But Hinata was taken by these guys…who knows what they're doing to her right now!" he bowed his head, "Please…anything you know could help!"

Anko eyed the teen for moment, actually amazed that he'd go so far as to beg for help, only to sigh. "Alright…but only because you're cute." She muttered, chuckling at Naruto's confused blink 'And so darn innocent too.' She noted with a coy smirk 'Soon change that, I promise you.'

Shaking her head she eyed the group and nodded, "It all began back at North Konoha Gakuen…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"You wanted to see me sensei?" a younger looking Anko asked, dressed in a boy's North Konoha Gakuen uniform with the Jacket open, hands in her pockets as she entered the lab._

_"Ah, Anko-chan…" a raspy voice called out "And how's my favorite delinquent this fine day?"_

_"Suffering from lecture withdrawals." Anko replied with a smirk, "Not that I mind, that old monkey sure likes to harp on about rules and crap."_

_"You shouldn't speak so ill of the dean." The owner of the voice chastised, though there was a note of merriment in his tone "He only has your best interests at heart."_

_"Enough about that," Anko cut in, looking the man over as she popped some gum, chewing it back in swiftly "Whadd'ya want me for?"_

_"As direct as always." The figure chuckled, standing up and walking towards her, revealing himself as Orochimaru, light reflecting spectacles and all "I merely thought you'd like to see something I'd found during a trip."_

_Anko raised an eyebrow as the man opened a small carrying case with clasps, turning it round to present her with a golden arrow. "What is it?" the teen asked, eyeing the relic with mild interest "Some sortta gaudy paperweight?"_

_"Hardly…" the professor chuckled "It is something I show to very few, something I came across during my youth that dates back countless centuries." He ran a finger along the shaft "The tip is said to have been forged from a meteorite that crashed into earth, one with rare, mystical ores." He chuckled "Study of the arrow reveals it to be unlike ANYTHING found on this planet."_

_"So what? It's from space?" Anko noted, eyeing the stone tip suspiciously "So for all we know it's a chunk of fossilized alien turd?"_

_"Is should hope not…" Orochimaru muttered, lifting the arrow off the casing and placing it on a drawn crossbow "I'd hate to think you'd catch something from this…"_

_Anko blinked, eyeing her instructor in confusion, only to choke as the bolt slammed into her shoulder, pinning her to the wall as pain tore through her body, so strong she couldn't even scream._

_"Hmmm…the success rate thus far has been nine deaths," Orochimaru noted, walking out from behind the desk as if commenting on the weather "Let's see if your luck holds out as usual."_

_"Sen…sei…" Anko gasped out, tears streaming down her cheeks, nearly biting her tongue off as he yanked the arrow out, her eyes widening in fear as serpents burst from the hole in her shoulder to wrap around her._

_"Well now…" Orochimaru noted as the girl screamed, the noise blocked from the outside world by the soundproofing of his office "What do you know…it seems luck was with you after all."_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"He went on to test it on others…" Anko muttered, "It was always the same, one in ten died from the arrow's energies, those that lived awoke stands, like Wan-chan and me."

Kiba bristled but held his tongue, the seriousness of the situation rising to the fore "Hang on, if that's the case, why didn't you report him?" he asked, only for the instructor to scoff.

"Report him?" she repeated "And say what? That he'd shot me with an arrow of 'space rock'? No wounds remember?" she bared her shoulder to reveal unblemished skin "And since no-one else could see my stand who'd believe me anyway? I certainly couldn't attack someone with it." she snorted "'sides, who'd believe the word of a delinquent over one of the faculty at a stuck up place like North Konoha Gakuen?"

Naruto twitched at this but said nothing, eyeing the woman beside him with a mutual respect of one who's been there, done that, got screwed over buying the shirt and kicked the salesman's ass for it.

"So if anything, we know the source of this mysterious arrow." Shikamaru noted, crossing his arms, "Can't be too many people with a name like that, should narrow down the number of schools he's holed up in."

"But Kiba was attacked by a youth our age." Shino pointed out, "And just because this Orochimaru has an arrow, doesn't mean there aren't any more."

"Maybe so," Shikamaru admitted, shaking his head grimly "But it's the best lead we have at the moment."

"Anko sensei…" Naruto asked, causing the woman to look at him "Could you…take us there?"

"Sorry," Anko replied, shaking her head even as she suppressed the urge to shiver "WAY to many bad memories…things kinda got rough after I refused to co-operate." She shivered, looking away "REALLY rough…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, not liking the sound of this one bit, before clenching his fist and nodding "Then keep an eye on the academy while we're gone." He asked her, "If they tried something like this they may try again, so give 'em hell!"

"Just try and take some of them alive." Shikamaru muttered, getting to his feet with a grunt "If we screw up and get caught, you and Gai-sensei can find out what's going on and call in the cavalry…probably let that Hyuuga guy know."

"Eh?" Naruto muttered, scowling as Neji's superior smirk appeared before him "Why should we let that asshole know anything?"

"Aho, not THAT Hyuuga." Shikamaru muttered exasperatedly "Hinata's father, Hiashi. No doubt he's got his own men looking into things and a little extra muscle couldn't hurt."

"Capture and interrogate?" Anko repeated, chuckling in a manner that made everyone's nuts clench "THAT I can do…Kukukuku."

Needless to say, the group felt a surge of pity for anyone stupid enough to attempt anything on East Konoha Gakuen while they were away.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiashi sat at his desk contemplating the situation, eyeing the picture before him that showed his family, his WHOLE family.

There was Hinoko, his beloved wife and mother of Hinata and Hanabi, elegant, regal, and as gentle as a newborn foal, her eyes filled with joy as she held a newborn Hanabi to her chest. Standing next to Hiashi was his twin; Neji's father Hizashi, a smile on his face that denoted him from his more serious twin. Suzuka, the man's wife and Neji's mother, stood at his side, their hands resting on the youth's shoulder.

'So much potential…all wasted because of an accident.' The Hyuuga patriarch muttered, sighing as he turned to the woman standing offside, looking distinctly out of place in the picture, held in place by Hinoko's hand holding her own.

'The only time we managed to get her into a kimono." Hiashi chuckled, frowning as his phone rang, picking it up to reveal his secretary on the line "I told you not to accept any calls unless it's from the police chief." He reminded her "I don't care if it's one of the company heads, if it isn't chief Danzo I don't want to hear from them."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well that was a waste of my precious minutes." Shikamaru muttered sarcastically, hanging up the phone with a grunt and pulling out his phone card "Looks like we're flying solo again."

"Who cares," Kiba muttered, "Like we need some pompous up-town geezer bossing us around." He snorted, "Not like he'd believe us anyway."

"I doubt that." Shino countered, "How do I know this? Because it is doubtful that he is unaware of the existence of stands, as his nephew has one."

"Shino's right," Shikamaru agreed with a grunt "At the very least he knows the existence of stands and their involvement in his daughter's kidnapping."

"Yeah-yeah I get it," Kiba muttered, messing up his already unruly hair with a growl "So are we doin' this or what?"

"You have ta ask?" Naruto scoffed, hands in his pockets as the bus to North Konoha pulled up, the door opening invitingly "Let's hit the road-tebayo!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hinata awoke to find herself nestled on a mattress in what could only be described as a sheet, a thick one certainly, but a sheet nonetheless. Sitting up fearfully, she eyed her surroundings, wincing at how damp the air felt and the lack of sufficient lighting.

'Where…?' she began, only to blink and lie down hurriedly, pretending to be unconscious as a door opened, admitting a silhouette.

"Still asleep I see," Sasuke's voice noted, the teen's voice drawing nearer, alongside someone else's footprints "She should have woken up by now."

"That isn't a problem," a familiar voice assured the teen, Hinata suppressing a gasp as the figure knelt next to her "The less active she is the better."

'O-Orochimaru-sensei?' the heiress wondered wildly, resisting the urge to flinch or open her eyes as the man stroked her cheek 'Why…how is HE involved in all this?'

"I haven't seen the others around recently." Sasuke noted in what at first sounded like a simple observation, only for his tone to reveal it as more of a direct question.

"They've been busy." Orochimaru replied, stepping away from Hinata and dusting himself off "You know how we can't exactly get together too often."

"You aren't sending them off on side missions are you?" Sasuke asked, a hint of fire in his tone "I thought I said I could handle this myself."

"Rest assured that I highly value your skills, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru chuckled "And I wouldn't DREAM of denying you a chance at the so called 'hurricane king' if it weren't the fact we don't have time." He walked off "Let him scamper around as he pleases, I doubt Anko will let him get very far."

The footsteps faded away, Hinata lying still as Sasuke stood near her, wondering why he remained until he spoke.

"I'll bring food later." The Uchiha assured her in a non-committal kind of way, looking at her as she gaped at him in shock "I'd eat it if you want any hope of getting out of this alive."

"U-Uchiha-kun…" Hinata called out, pausing him in his tracks "W-why? What d-do you want…from me?"

"It's not what I want." Sasuke shot back, looking at her from over his shoulder "I'm just following orders."

And with that, he left the heiress to her own, troubled thoughts.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So this is North Konoha Gakuen." Shikamaru muttered, looking up at the pristine wall so the establishment with a slightly less bored expression "Someone's got class."

"For your sake that had better not have been a pun." Kiba growled, but couldn't help but agree with the Nara's statement, compared to this place, East Konoha Gakuen was a shack.

They hadn't even crossed the gate, the courtyard was massive, filled with gardens and a massive fountain with attached pond that led up to the main door. There were several open catwalks that provided shade from the sun whilst granting the residents fresh air. Several students were walking across the gardens, conversing, laughing, resting in the shade, some were even playing croquet, ignorant or uncaring of the scrutiny from the teens.

"I suddenly feel underdressed." Shino noted in that calm monotone of his "How do I know this? Because the cost of the uniform here could by ten back at East Konoha Gakuen."

"The result of your investigations, right?" Shikamaru noted, inwardly wondering how anyone could spend so much on clothes.

"S'not so great." Naruto groused, hands in his pockets as he snorted dismissively "The place reeks of class and pedigree, so high and mighty they probably have servants to wipe their own asses."

"I doubt they're that bad Naruto-kun." Lee corrected with a sweatdrop, "After all, Hinata-kun goes here."

Naruto blinked, as if only recalling that piece of Intel now, before shaking his head and pumping a fist "Yosh! Let's get this party started-tebayo!"

"Hold it genius." Shikamaru ordered, grabbing Naruto's shadow with his stand and holding the youth back "We need to be subtle; in case you didn't notice, we kind of stick out." He nodded towards the gate "Besides, the guards probably won't just let us in."

Naruto turned, following the teen's gaze to a rather corpulent guard sitting with his feet up, watching a baseball game. "So whadd'ya suggest?" he asked "We sneak in?"

"Glad to see you're using your noggin." Shikamaru noted dryly, nodding to his stand, who sank into the shadows and disappeared.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside the guard station, the corpulent guard known as Shirai cursed as his team struck out again, lazily giving the box the finger, unaware that behind him, someone was fiddling with the monitors. He blinked, a shiver running up his spine as he looked over his shoulder, only to relax as the dimly lit guardroom appeared as unchanged as ever.

"I gotta lay off the caffeine." He muttered, turning back to the game, not noticing that the screens were temporarily resetting; controlled by an invisible figure with red eyes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"My stand will ensure we don't appear on security cameras." Shikamaru stated "At least until we're inside, after that we'll split up and search for clues, try asking about this Orochimaru Sensei, see what you can dig up."

"We should probably act as if we're transferring." Shino noted "They may prove suspicious of several East Gakuen students showing up, especially if he has allies among the staff and student body."

"Got it." Naruto agreed, before promptly vaulting over the wall, using the shadows of a large tree to conceal his movements, Lee right beside him. Kiba followed in human form, though his eyes were slightly feral and his teeth seemed to be growing, Chouji clambering over with a grunt, even as Shino appeared in a swarm or insects.

The group nodded as one, before breaking up, Shikamaru remaining in the tree with Shino, who spread his stand insects out for reconnaissance.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mataku…" Naruto muttered, walking along the gravel path towards the main campus, hands in his pockets as he eyed the well-groomed lawns, with several seniors laying about or playing games "This place is so high it stinks."

"Such un-youthful thoughts are unbecoming Naruto-kun." Lee chastised, looking over the various students impassively, "They are not responsible for their familial status."

Naruto scoffed and looked away, though his sempai's words DID curb his ire somewhat. North Konoha's residents were primarily the upper-crust, and made a point of letting others know it too. The gilding on some of the benches alone could pay the blonde's rent for a week!

"So how exactly are we gonna do this?" Naruto muttered, looking around with a frown "I mean, no offence, but we don't look like the kind of people that go looking for teachers…least I don't."

"True…" Lee muttered, shooting his kohai's shining locks, headband and outdated school trench coat carefully "But then again," he muttered, raising his hand, "We aren't exactly normal…"

Naruto watched as bandages unfurled from behind his sempai, slithering off in all directions, the resident students unaware of their presence "You can track people with those things?"

"No." Lee admitted, "But someone with a stand ability will feel different from an ordinary human, and since Hinata's abductor has already used a former student already…"

"Then he's gotta have a few more lurking around too!" Naruto realized, instantly going to high alert as he watched the curious onlookers with wary eyes. "Oh man this is bad…we could be surrounded already!"

"No." Lee assured him "None of these people possess even a hint of stand energy, nor the Hamon energy." He frowned suddenly "However…I think I may have found someone who does…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Get a loada this!" Kiba whistled, eyeing a bunch of girls as they walked past, a lecherous leer on his face "Hell if I'd known all the fillies were in one coral I'd have transferred over years ago!"

Chouji was quiet, but internally it was only the memory of Satsuki that was keeping him from following the same path as his lupine companion. Chouji may not have looked it, but there was a big heart underneath the layers of fat, one that didn't permit any harm to come to those who held a place in it.

Didn't stop him from blushing as some of them giggled at him though. He was a teenager after all.

"Excuse me." Someone called out, prompting them to turn into the disapproving glare of a redheaded girl in a North Konoha Gakuen uniform, flinching at the sight of her prefect badge "What are you doing here?"

"Uh…we're…thinking of transferring?" Kiba lied, cursing at the uncertainty in his tone as she cocked an eyebrow.

"Really?" the redhead asked, pushing up her spectacles as she eyed the wild teen like he was one of the nasty surprises Kuromaru left on the carpet as a pup "Where are your parents?"

"At work!" Chouji supplied, earning a relieved look from Kiba "They were too busy to make it, so they sent us ourselves to look around."

The redhead frowned, eyeing the two up carefully, before sniffing "Registration for transfer is not until the following month, provided you have sat the entrance exam." She eyed them analytically "Judging by your confusion, I'm guessing you haven't even done that." She pointed at the main building "Please go to the admissions office and make an appointment."

"R-right…" Chouji stammered, bowing slightly as he dashed off, dragging Kiba along with him, desperate to get away from that penetrating stare.

Neither noticed as the light shone on the girl's glasses, hiding her eyes from sight as she pulled out a mobile and hit speed dial.

"They've come…" she reported, eyeing their retreating backs impassively "No, no sign of the Hurricane King as of yet…As you wish…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We have intruders." Sasuke reported, looking over at Orochimaru from his position against the wall whilst snapping his mobile shut "At least four."

"I see…" Orochimaru noted, fingers steepled before him calculatingly "I wonder who I should send to deal with them?"

"You have to ask?" Sasuke snorted, stepping away from the wall and turning towards the door with a superior snort "I'll deal with them myself."

"Sasuke." Orochimaru rasped out, his tone commanding "Do NOT challenge them yet…so far we only know of two of their abilities…and it might not necessarily be the Hurricane King out there."

"What do you suggest then?" Sasuke asked, though a frown marred his features at being denied the chance to battle the blonde hellion.

"What indeed…" Orochimaru chuckled, tapping his fingers against a keyboard, bringing up to profiles "Yes…Nioi and Oto…they'll do nicely…"

"Those two?" Sasuke muttered, sounding less than impressed "Are we that desperate for manpower?"

"Hardly." Orochimaru countered, his sick cackling sending shivers up the youth's spine as he smirked "But why risk the knights when a pawn will do?" he snorted "Especially when they are oh so willing to sacrifice themselves for you…Sasuke-kun."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You sure there was someone with stand abilities this way Sempai?" Naruto muttered, sneaking along beside the track-suit sporting teen.

"Absolutely." Lee replied, holding up one of his bandages "Stand's and Hamon energy work under the same basic principles of life energy, merely in different ways, you could think as Hamon as passive, as it flows through the body at the will of the user, whereas Stands are usually aggressive, driven by the human instinct to fight."

"So that must mean this guy might be someone worth fighting huh?" Naruto reasoned with a grin, cracking his knuckles as he jogged to keep up, "Hope he's an enemy, I've been busting to cut loose since we got here."

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions." Lee insisted, though he was on edge as well "Don't forget, while this Orochimaru-sensei may be able to create stand users through the arrow's power, there may still be natural stand users like myself here as well."

Naruto flinched at this but said nothing, as one predominant stand user instantly popped into his head. True Neji and he were technically on the same side at the moment, since he was no doubt looking for Hinata as well, but the even the memory of that cocky smirk pissed him right the fuck off.

"We're getting close!" Lee reported, the bandage tightening somewhat "They're just around this corner!"

"I got 'em!" Naruto yelled, dashing forwards despite Lee's warning, lunging forward, his fist drawn back as he rounded the corner, only to balk as he espied a pair of startled green eyes and a girl's school uniform. The girl gasped as the errant delinquent stumbled over his own two feet, rolling past her with a yelp, crashing into a trolley loaded with janitorial tools and sending everything clattering to the ground on top of him.

"Naruto-kun!" lee exclaimed, dashing round the corner to gape at his stunned kohai in alarm "You shouldn't run in the halls, it's dangerous!"

"Tell me about it-tebayo…" Naruto slurred, a bucket covering his head and a mop clenched between his teeth. Spitting the offending tool out, he shook the bucket off and picked himself up with a grimace, holding his back "Think I put my back out…"

"Are you okay?" a concerned voice asked, drawing their attention to the girl Naruto had almost run over, their eyes widening as she looked over them with concern "That was a nasty spill you took."

'C-cute!' the two exclaimed, blushes adorning their cheeks as they took in the healthy frame, the mid-length pink hair and bright green eyes 'Really cute!'

"Sorry if I startled you." The girl offered, taking the bucket off the blonde's hands "But your friend's right, you shouldn't be running in the halls."

"Yeah…" Naruto stammered, unused to girls talking to him after years as a delinquent, Lee in a similar predicament having had no female acquaintances his own age "Wari..." he trailed off as he staggered, Lee catching his shoulder to keep him upright.

"You might have a concussion." The pinkette noted, placing a hand to his forehead, concern in her eyes "Come on, I'll take you to the nurses office."

"Sorry for the trouble," Lee offered with a flush "My name's Rock Lee, this is my friend Naruto."

"Haruno Sakura." The pinkette offered with a smile as she led the way, "Yoroshku."

Lee smiled and followed after her, the pinkette pulling out a mobile as she walked.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nosey Bitch…" Kiba growled, leaning against the wall with a grunt, a scowl marring his features "Who does she think she is, talking top us like that?"

"Calm Down Kiba." Chouji asked, sighing at the feral teen's ire "She's a prefect, it's her job to set an example."

"More like hassle decent folks." Kiba shot back, spitting into a trash can before marching off, hands in his pockets "I tell ya, the things those bastards can get away with…"

Whatever the feral teen was about to say was cut off as he bumped into someone as they rounded the corner, knocking them both to the ground

"What the hell!" Kiba snapped, in no mood for any more crap after the redhead from earlier "Watch where you're going!"

"Excuse me?!" the blonde before him snapped, her voice shrill as she regained her footing "YOU bumped into ME jackass!" she pointed at the plants she was carrying "And you made me drop those!"

"So?" Kiba muttered, eyeing the fallen botany dismissively "What's the big deal? They're just plants."

"Big deal?!" the blonde shrieked, looking livid "My grade point average is depending on these plants you inconsiderate son of a bitch!"

"We're sorry miss." Chouji offered, stepping between the two before a fight broke out…or worse, they drew attention "We'll help you clean up."

"What the hell man?" Kiba grumbled, turning his head aside with a grunt as he walked off "I ain't helping that harpy…you do it, I'll go on ahead."

Chouji sighed but said nothing, watching the feral teen walk off as he picked up the scattered plants alongside the blonde "Sorry about Kiba." He offered sincerely "He's not used to dealing with people."

"Probably hasn't had his shots." The blonde muttered, earning a guilty snort from the large teen "You don't look familiar."

"We're transferring." Chouji lied automatically, wondering if he could gather intel on their enemy "We were looking for Orochimaru-sensei."

"Eh? You know sensei?" the girl noted with surprise "Wow…I didn't think he knew anyone from east Konoha…" shaking herself, she smiled and titled her head "the green house is this way, my name's Yamanaka Ino by the way."

Chouji returned the smile and trundled off, his arms weighed down with flora as the blonde led the way, pulling a mobile out of her pocket as she went and bringing up the text function at the same time as a certain pinkette.

_'Target's located.'_

_'Commencing execution.'_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so the infiltration of North Konoha Gakuen is under way.

But it looks like the team isn;t the only one doing a little recconaisance

Just who are Ino and Sakura really?

Also, for those who asked, Anko-sama's Stand:

Stand: Poison

User: Mitarashi Anko

Power: D Speed: A Range: B

Staying: A Precision: A Learning: D

1- Poisonous serpent, capable of firing projectile darts from its mouth.

2- Poison remains in bloodstream even if the darts are removed.

3- Darts can transform into miniature serpents.

4- Only antidote is Anko's blood.

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

R&R-tebayo!

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

Things are heating up at North Konoha Gakuen.

Will our heroes face these challenges head on? Or will they be picked off one by one?

Let's find out shall we?

No new stand Stat's this chappie, expect a new one next chappie.

_HEAVEN OR HELL?_

_LET'S RAWK!!!_

* * *

Chapter 14: Mind Games.

Shikamaru yawned as he leant against the trunk of the tree, eyeing Shino lazily as the silent teen continued to scan the area with his Alien Ant Farm. 'Mendokuse…' the Nara muttered, rolling his eyes slightly in disbelief 'Never thought I'd get sick of just lazing around…'

"Anything?" he asked the silent Aburame, only to sigh once more as the taciturn teen shook his head "Mendokuse…isn't there any way to differentiate stand users from normal people?"

"No," Shino countered, almost apologetically "while Stand users generally have a higher level of life energy, it doesn't necessarily mean it can be detected, even by my Alien Ant Farm." He frowned, "Also, people in peak physical condition tend to possess greater life energy too, and North Konoha Gakuen has some of the best athletes here on scholarships." He frowned behind his spectacles "The only surefire way to detect a stand user is to force them to use their ability."

"By which case it could be too late." Shikamaru muttered, cursing derisively as he tried to factor this into his equations "Mendokuse…this isn't a can of worms Naruto dragged us into, it's a nest of fucking vipers…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There we go." Sakura noted, pulling the curtains shut so that the sun didn't glare over the sick bed she'd prepared for Naruto "Place him there."

"Thank you again." Lee offered gratefully, pulling the cover over his slumbering kohai with a sheepish grin "Naruto-kun isn't normally so careless..."

"Think nothing of it." Sakura countered, smiling cheerfully as she closed the curtains around the slumbering blonde's bed "I'm planning to advance to the medical university, so this is good practice."

Lee fought down a flush as a guilty image of the girl in a nurse's uniform flashed through his mind. Shaking himself, he instead allowed himself to be led out of the infirmary, the pinkette chatting amiably with him concerning the details of her course.

"And then of course there's the annual trip to the university." Sakura noted, a hint of pride in her tone "We get to sit in on operations that aren't too important or private, it gives good reference material."

"Fascinating." Lee noted, though internally he really didn't see the appeal in watching someone grapple with death, taking notes all the while. Oh he could understand the benefits of learning experience and advances in medical techniques, but turning live surgery into an extra credit assignment made him queasy.

"By the way…" Sakura asked, turning to face the bowl-cut teen with curious eyes "You never did tell me what you two were doing in the corridor. You don't look like Students here."

"We're thinking of transferring." Lee offered, working hard to keep himself from flinching. One of the teen's sole weaknesses was that he was too honest for his own good, and couldn't tell a lie to save his life. It was just one of those things he'd had to live with growing up, and Gai never faulted him for it.

"Really?" Sakura asked, her tone relieved "That's good, for a moment I thought you'd come in to vandalize the buildings." She shook her head in disgust "Some loser from East Konoha broke in while classes were in session and painted the clock tower to look like a giant prick, all the first years had to be sent home!"

Lee fought the urge to chuckle at this, a guilty feeling of pride filling him as he shot the door of the nurses office a quick glance. Little did the girl know she'd just assisted the felon she was badmouthing right this minute. "I was told to see a specific staff member." He pressed, not technically a lie, as he WAS looking for the man, "Orochimaru-sensei."

"The counselor?" Sakura wondered, looking at him in surprise "Well it's true he does help out with transfers…but that's usually before the semester starts."

"I had…trouble at my old school." Lee offered, again not technically a lie, especially given recent events "A good friend was in a car accident and it shook me pretty bad."

"Oh no," the girl gasped, placing a hand to her mouth in shock, green eyes wide with concern "Were they alright?"

"They lived." Lee assured her, smirking as he went with the flow, "But they were never the same again…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto sneezed, rubbing his nose tenderly as he rolled over, wincing as his back objected the movement. 'Someone's talking about me-tebayo…' he muttered, cursing as his pounding headache raged away 'Kuso…why's this shit happen to me?'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That's a lot of plants." Chouji muttered dumbly, eyeing the numerous flowerbeds with something akin to awe on his face. There were at least thirteen rows of the things, all with different breeds of flora, and this was just ONE of the greenhouses!

'Guess I found where the taxes are going.' He joked, eyeing the glass walls with a hint of amusement, only to snap out of his daze as Ino spoke up.

"So anyway," the blonde asked as she shelved some flowerpots "what is it you're planning to go into?" she blinked at the teen's look of confusion "You know, after graduation?"

"Uh…my dad wants me to take over the family business." The large teen mumbled, looking off to the side "Mom'd rather I branched out a little, but she likes the idea of me staying nearby."

"Family business?" Ino repeated, looking a little intrigued "Are you connected to the hospital by any chance?"

"Sorry, no." Chouji offered, shaking his head good naturedly "My family runs a grocery store, Akimichi-Goods, and-"

"I know that place!" Ino exclaimed, eyes widening in recognition "I used to buy snacks from there as a kid, they're still open?" she blushed and clapped a hand to her mouth, eyes widening in shock.

"You're from East Konoha too?" Chouji wondered, eyeing the blonde in surprise. He'd never have figured to run into someone from home here.

"N-not at all!" Ino stammered, shaking her head "M-my dad just knew some people there and he'd take me with him whenever he went to visit." She coughed, trying to reassert herself "Anyways, that's a surprise, I didn't think I'd hear that name again."

'What's surprising is how defensive you were.' Chouji muttered, eyeing the still shaken girl in disbelief 'And what's she mean by that? We may be from East Konoha, but Dad's got contacts in all the other blocks too, there's no way she'd have thought we were going under.'

"So you're from East side huh?" Ino noted, idly rifling through some begonias "Never figured I'd see someone from that neighborhood up here." She shook her head "you ask me, you're right for getting out of that slum."

"It's not that bad." Chouji muttered halfheartedly, which wasn't technically false. True East Konoha wasn't as well off as the others, but the people were generally honest, hard-working folks that welcomed each day no matter how hard it was.

It had also gotten a lot better since Naruto took out one of the main Yakuza groups not so long ago, but he wasn't about to mention THAT in public.

"Whatever." Ino muttered, clearly glad to see the back of the topic "So is there anything I can do to help?"

"Well…I was supposed to look for someone to help me enroll." The large teen lied, keeping his face decidedly calm "Orochimaru-sensei it think his name was…"

"Orochimaru-sensei?" Ino marveled, her eyes wide with intrigue "That's a hell of a reference, he only ever deals with prodigies or those with special cases."

"Special cases?" Chouji repeated, fishing for information. If this Orochimaru was as bad as Anko made him out to be, he may have been recruiting since the day she left.

"Kids with problems at home," Ino supplied dismissively, dusting her hands off with a nearby cloth "or just having a hard time adapting to the campus." She sighed and put a hand on her hips "want me to show you the way?"

Chouji nodded his assent, wishing they'd thought up a way to let everyone know where they were. If he Did wind up bumping into the psychopath, he didn't want it to be on his own, especially if he had to shield Ino from the freak.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You seem restless…Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru noted, quirking his lips as he sat behind his massive desk, fingers steepled before him "That eager to test yourself are we?"

"Of course." Sasuke shot back, his features set in an impassive scowl, as he pushed a chess piece forward "You always promise me greater challenges, and yet when it comes down to it, you'd rather I remain hidden, like some china doll."

"Quite the contrary." Orochimaru chuckled, his eyes seeming to dance in the shadows as he move his own piece across the board "I merely don't see the point on letting my King waste his effort's on mere Pawns."

Sasuke snorted, moving one of his own pawns to claim Orochimaru's "Still, why toy with them? Why not eliminate the intruders now?"

"You have much to learn." Orochimaru chuckled, claiming a pawn in retaliation, setting it aside dismissively "I've been doing this for years Sasuke-kun, before you were even conceived to be precise…" he chuckled as he looked the dark teen in the eyes "Trust me when I say this: Better to get the pawns out of the way first, it leaves the larger pieces more room to maneuver."

"But why those two?" Sasuke asked, his Knight claiming Orochimaru's Castle "I'll admit they're capable…barely…"

"Because they will not surrender." Orochimaru chuckled, eyeing the teen with an all-knowing smirk on his face "After all, they have something to prove…don't they, Sasuke-kun?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ano…Sakura-san…" Lee muttered, raising an eyebrow as they continued up what had to be the sixth flight of steps "Are you sure this is the right way?"

"But of course!" the pinkette assured him, though she didn't turn round "Orochimaru-sensei's a little odd, he prefers to be in high places, claims it helps him think."

'Or he just likes to believe he's above other people.' Lee thought darkly, following after the girl and flushing as he almost saw up her skirt. She wasn't as developed as Hinata-san, but her smile made the track-star feel a little TOO youthful in awkward places.

"This way please." Sakura called out, gesturing to a door to their right, "Please, after you."

Lee smiled, thanking the girl for her trouble, watching her walk down the steps before turning to face the door, wishing there were some way he could contact the others without drawing attention as he opened it and stepped forward, only to pull up short as he almost stepped over the edge of the doorway.

The room he was about to step into was, in fact, the site of a renovation to the campus, an extension to the main building if he could hazard a guess. As such, not all the floors were completed, only the framework for the building, leaving nothing between his feet and the unforgiving ground several stories below.

Arching backwards and tightening his hold on the door handle, the teen tried to pull himself back in, only to gasp as a pair of hands pushed him forwards, his position preventing him from getting a decent foothold as he hurtled out into the open air.

"KUNG-FU GENERATION!!!!!" the track star called out desperately, flipping round to face the roof, his stand's bandages flying from his sleeve to wrap around an I-Beam, halting his decent with an abrupt jolt.

"Too close for comfort…" the teen gasped, watching dust and debris fall to the ground below. He shot a quick glance towards the door he'd fallen out off, only to see the tail end of a person's shadow heading up the stairs "Trying to get away…I don't think so!"

Breathing in deep, the bowl-cut sporting teen felt the surge of the ripple coursing through his body, accelerating the blood in his veins and awakening the dormant strength in his muscles as he swung towards the nearest I-Beam.

"Hamon-ryu:" the teen called out, sending a burst of ripple energy towards his legs as jumped upwards off the beam towards the roof like a Kangaroo "YOUTHFULL GREEN OVERDRIVE!"

The teen leapt upwards, rebounding off the pillars with such force he left the imprint of his trainers in the wrought iron metal. Dodging the various protruding pieces of incomplete soldering, her made his way upwards, flipping over the edge of the roof to land on all fours in a perfect crouch. 'The enemy was headed upwards…' he noted, frowning as he realized there was only one floor below the roof…the one he fell off 'which means that they're already here, waiting for me.'

He stood up slowly, raising his arms in the air in a cat stance, ready to react at a moment's notice as he slowly made his way away from the edge of the roof. His eyes narrowing as he took in the surroundings, ready to react at a moment's notice to the slightest sound. "I know you're up here." He called out, his tone level despite his racing heart, "I don't know why you pushed me out the door, but step aside and we have no reason to fight."

_"That's where you're wrong."_ A muffled voice spoke out, as if speaking through a cloth mask. Lee spun in the direction, only to curse as he espied one of the roof's loudspeakers turned towards him, the hackles on his neck rising as he felt something rushing up from behind.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chouji felt really small walking around the campus with Ino, something that was quite odd considering he was head and shoulders taller and had to be at least twice as wide. It was the aura of prestige the school gave off, like walking into a museum, or some sort of historical building.

The looks he was getting from walking with the girl weren't helping the shy teen any either.

"The campus boasts a terrific history of sporting events." Ino noted, like a professional tour guide "In the past decade we've reigned undefeated in archery, field, swimming and equestrian."

"Equal what?" Chouji muttered dumbly, regretting it as she looked at him in confusion, before nodding in understanding.

"It means horseback sports." The blonde supplied patiently, "To be honest, outside of track, soccer, basketball and baseball, we've managed to reign undefeated."

Chouji fought the urge to chuckle, for those were the fields that East Konoha won at every time, thanks in no small part to Naruto, Kiba and Lee, the sole reason the former two hadn't been expelled as of yet. He blinked as Ino turned left, heading towards what looked like a massive gym building. "Ano…Yamanaka-san…I thought we were going to Orochimaru-sensei's office?"

"Hm? Oh he wont be there right now." The blonde assured him "He sometimes substitutes for the wrestling team's psychiatrist, gives them a pep talk before matches and stuff."

After what he'd heard about the man from Anko, Chouji didn't like the idea of the freak getting anywhere NEAR him, let alone inside his head. However he kept quiet, dipping his hand into his pocket as they entered the gym, only to find it deserted.

"This way please." Ino gestured, asking him to step forward. Chouji wondered if she was going to lead him to the changing rooms for a moment, only to blink as the lights turned out.

"What the…" he yelled, only to blink as the door locked behind them, whirling round, his eyes wide with confusion as he caught sight of the blonde leaning against it, a calculating look in her eyes "Yamanaka-san?"

"I know why you're really here." Ino pointed out, the kindness in her tone dropped as she continued to lean against the door "Breaking into the school to cause trouble…Did you think you could get away with it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Chouji countered, the hand in his pocket tightening as he stepped back.

"I won't let you hurt him!" Ino called out, her scowl heavy as the air shimmered, a pair of eyes opening wide behind her "I'll prove myself worthy of his affection by beating you here!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"KUNG-FU GENERATION!" Lee yelled, the stand appearing just in time to deflect a blow that actually knocked them back a few steps, allowing him to get a good look at his would be assailant, or rather, their Stand.

The enemy's stand was both slender and toned, like a professional athlete. It's legs seemed to retreat into a bizarre skirt-short combo that clung to it's frame like a miniskirt. The upper body was mostly flat armored plate, save for the slightest bumps on the chest that hinted it was female. The colour scheme was mainly pink, with little white circle on the knees, shoulders and back of the fists, a line leading downwards from them. Its helmeted head resembled a type of spiky pageboy (Sakura's haircut), the wide space of it's forehead bearing the kanji for 'Inner' above it's solid green eyes, a single flat line across the face indicating where the mouth was.

(Basically a more buff, robotic version of Inner Sakura, with the mentioned adornments.)

Lee wasted no time, ducking under another strike to his head, sending his own stand forward in a blur of kicks to drive the opponent back, his eyes set in determination as the two began to clash in a blaze of fists, only for the enemy stand to stagger back, having suffered more blows than Kung-Fu Generation. However, Lee had to marvel at its strength as it quickly regained its composure.

'Strong…' he applauded, eyeing the glaring specter warily 'But slow…not much faster than Chouji-kun's Smash Mouth, when it comes to speed I can land more hits and block it's attacks no problem…' he frowned 'But I don't have time for this! I need to defeat the user and alert the others!'

_"You're more resilient than I thought."_ The muffled voice applauded over the speakers mockingly _"I suppose I should expect as much from Sensei's enemies."_

"Please stop this." Lee called out, trying to appeal to the user's sense of reason "I have no quarrel with you, we're merely looking for a friend that was taken captive by Orochimaru-sensei."

_"Sensei told us you'd try spinning a tale to avoid fighting."_ The speaker scoffed, sounding amused _"But I don't really care, because to get to him, you have to get through all the stand users that he has surrounded himself with."_

"So we were right…" the track star noted with a frown "He IS using the arrow to create an army of stand users."

The speaker was silent for a moment, as if coming to terms with what the teen had just said, when is spoke again, there was a hint of suspicion in that muffled voice.

_"…How the hell did you know about the arrow…?"_ it demanded, anger, suspicion, and a little trace of fear in the tone _"Who in the hell are you bastards?!"_

"Like I said…" Lee shot back, his face set in a mask of determination, as Kung-Fu Generation stood before him in a ready stance "We're here to rescue our friend...and put a stop to Orochimaru's plans once and for all!"

_"…Big words…"_ the voice noted, sounding less amused and more wary this time _"But that's all they are…WORDS."_ Lee frowned as enemy's Stand righted itself and lunged forwards once again _"Because you're not getting off this roof alive!"_

"KUNG-FU GENETATION!" Lee yelled, bringing his stand to bear on the enemy, their fists blazing out as they attempted to flatten one another.

"SHAAAAANAAAAARO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!"

"ATA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TAH!!!!!!"

Lee winced as some of the blows were felt through his connection to his stand, but brushed them off, having been hit just as hard by Naruto's when they sparred before, the Hamon energy still coursing through his veins dulling the pain and speeding up his reaction time even more. Finally though, his stand got within the guard of the enemy's, delivering a solid blow right to the forehead with a final cry of "HOH-ATCHA!!!"

_"DARRRGH!!!"_ came the cry from over the speakers, a figure falling out from the side of the building, holding it's bleeding forehead in agony. Lee, wasting no time, Disengaged some of the bandages that made up his stand's arm and sent them towards the figure, wrapping it up to prevent escape as he leapt into the air.

"KURAI-EI!!!" The teen yelled, Kung-Fu Generation's remaining fist drawn back alongside his own as they descended on their target like the wrath of heaven "YOUTHFULL GREEN OVERDRI-!"

"LEE-SAN!" a familiar voice called out, causing his eyes to widen as he caught sight of exactly WHO lay bound before him "Help me!"

"Sakura-san!" the teen exclaimed, eyes wide in confusion as he called off the attack, landing a little uneasily next to her as he supported her head in concern "What are you doing here?!"

"He…he said he'd kill me if I called out…" the pinkette sniffled, her green eyes wide with distress, blood trailing down her forehead from a bad cut as she pointed to a figure lying in the shadows of the roof exit "He…he kept a knife to my head…then for some reason he stumbled like he'd been punched…I tried to run, but he cut me as he fell…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Poor girl…' the track star muttered, wiping away the worst of the blood as best he could before setting her down gently "Stay here," he ordered, his smile reassuring "I'm going to make sure he isn't a threat anymore."

Sakura smiled, a cute beam that made the track star all loopy inside, "Thank you, Lee-kun." She offered, "I knew you'd protect me."

Lee's spirit burned at those words, fists clenching as he pulled off a salute that would've made Drill sergeants the world over cry with joy, before rounding on the huddled form, his fists clenched and Kung-Fu Generation hovering behind him. "So you're the one that's been giving me so much trouble." He muttered, eyeing the limp form as he stepped through the doorway, cursing as he realized the light bulb had been smashed "Skulking in the shadows…taking defenseless girls hostage…are these things a man should do?!"

If the figure heard the irate teens words he certainly didn't react to them, other than moan and twitch slightly, no doubt still concussed from the blow to the head. Growling, Lee sent his bandages forward, not willing to put anything to chance as he bound the man tightly, only for his eyes to widen as the Hamon energy infused in the bandages alerted him to the man's state.

"Impossible!" the teen yelped, yanking the bandages back, drawing the form of an elderly janitor into view, his skull bleeding from the side, as if he'd been struck by something heavy "This can't be right! This man's can't have been the stand user! The wound's in the wrong place!" he paled suddenly, recalling exactly where the last blow he'd struck had landed, whipping round even as a fist clipped him on the jaw.

"Hoh…figured it out did we?" Sakura's voice called out, her tone dark and coy as she stood before him, holding her elbow with one hand, the other hand holding her chin as she smirked. Before her, it's arm still extended from the punch that had clipped his cheek, was the Stand with the kanji on its forehead "You're pretty slow, Lee-kun."

"Sakura-san…" the teen muttered, setting the elderly man down as gently as he could to prevent further injury "What is the meaning of this?"

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" the girl mocked, titling her head to the side coyly "I played you, Lee-kun, like a 2-cent Kazoo." She smirked at him "It wasn't that difficult, I know you're type all too well, the brave hero, rising to his lady's defense." She scoffed "So predictable, a few words of praise and you practically melted."

Lee scowled, shame at being played smothering the feelings of heartache as he summoned his stand before him in a ready stance. "Sakura-san…" he called out, eyes narrowed "I ask you again…stand aside."

"I don't have to." The girl shot back, smirking down at the teen as her stand hovered behind her, "You're no threat to me any more."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chouji panted, eyeing Ino from the side as he knelt, one knee bent beneath him as he glared at the girl's stand as it continued to point at the spot he'd recently vacated.

It was feminine, the frame covered in what looked like a blue and white bodysuit with several eye-like shapes adorning it, four around the calves and hamstrings, three on the stomach, four surrounding the upper and lower arms with one apiece covering the knee and elbow joints. It's head was human, but had a type of visor over the mouth. Long, elegant blonde hair flowed down it's back, a massive bang curving out of the forehead to trail halfway down it's chest.

(Hair and features is basically Millia Rage from Guilty Gear, the color schemes for her dress are the same for the bodysuit, and the feet resemble her boots. The visor is identical to the one that covers Hierophant green's mouth.)

"You're pretty light on your feet." Ino noted, her smirk barely visible in the darkness of the hall "Though I know you're no ordinary guy…otherwise you'd have never thought to have dodged my attack." She titled her head "Aren't you going to call it out? Your Stand that is."

"Don't know what you're talking about." Chouji muttered, wanting to put off doing so until he had no other choice. "I just don't trust people coming up behind me in the dark."

"Cute…but useless." Ino noted, turning to face the teen, stepping around him with her Stand out before her "I know you have a stand, the fact you're following my own with your eyes is proof of that." She posed, arms behind her head, hips titled to the side, her Stand mimicking her position "Isn't she beautiful? Just like her owner."

"Wouldn't know, I'm spoken for." Chouji shot back, though he did feel a rush of blood at the girl's direct provocation "Plus it's dark, what the heck am I supposed to be looking at."

"I'll admit fighting in the dark is distasteful." Ino muttered, looking annoyed that she hadn't gotten the desired reaction out of the teen "But I prefer to see what I'm up against before making an attack." She smirked, before stepping back, disappearing into the shadows "And unlike you, I can see just fine in the dark."

Chouji cursed as she vanished from view, pushing himself into a position that would make it easier to dodge the attacks as they came. 'From the sound of it, her stand's a close quarters type like mine.' He noted, suppressing the urge to look around wildly in the dark 'That means she has to get within at least a meter to strike me.' He scowled 'My stand's not much better though…and to top it all off, I can't see a damn thing…have to find a light switch…'

He began to shuffle, ever so slowly to avoid making a sound, backwards towards the wall, hoping at the very least having something at his back would limit the number of attack areas as he searched for the switch. "I can see you…" Ino called out, her tone rising and falling in a disturbingly singsong manner "Just what do you think you're doing? Looking for a light?" she scoffed "Give it a rest."

Chouji blinked as he stumbled, falling face first into the unforgiving floor of the gym with a curse. 'W-what the hell?!' he stammered, looking around for his assaulter 'Something grabbed my leg!'

He waved his arm around the limb, eyeing the shadows suspiciously as he went to get to his feet, only to stumble as he attempted to get the leg under him. 'What the…' he wondered, a dull chill settling over his shoulders as he tried to move the unresponsive limb 'Why can't I move my foot?!'

"Surprised?" Ino called out, sounding smug and self confident "You were right you know, dodging to the side like that…you thought something was going to happen right?" she chuckled again, coming into view as the teen struggled to get up "But you should've dodged quicker…because I've already marked you."

Chouji blinked, looking down at his leg in confusion, eyes widening at the sight of a strange, spiral-rose tattoo on his ankle. 'What the hell?' he wondered, trying to wipe the thing off in confusion, only for it to prove to be one with the sock he was wearing.

"Don't bother." Ino mocked, watching as the teen tried to remove his sock "That mark didn't attach itself to your clothes, it's bonded to the skin beneath as well." She chuckled as he continued, revealing an identical tattoo directly under the sock "You see?" she taunted, stepping directly into view, her Stand hovering behind her "It's pointless."

"SMASH MOUTH!" Chouji roared, his stand lashing out with a wide palm to grab the girl, only for her to nimbly step out of his reach without a care in the world "Dammit!"

"How rude." Ino muttered, sounding displeased, "A gentleman never raises his hand to a lady." She flicked her hand upwards "Bow your head and apologize."

Chouji yelped as his foot abruptly twisted under him, dragging the leg with it as he crashed face first into the floor for the second time.

"That's better." Ino noted, standing just outside the teen's range as she posed, one hand supporting her elbow as the other brushed a waft of hair behind her ear "Now apologize."

"L-like hell!" Chouji spat, pushing himself up and onto his good leg, trying to avoid stepping on the marked one "What the hell did you-mrphrgle?!"

"Quiet." Ino cut in, her eyes impassive as Chouji tried to pull his own hand out of his mouth "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a lady when she's talking?"

'H-how?!' Chouji stammered, looking at the girl in alarm as he fought to pull his fingers out of his mouth, surprised to see another rose tattoo adorning his hand 'When did she?!'

"When you tried to slap me with your stand." The girl informed him, titling her head to the side as she stood next to the large teen "Just as it missed me, I claimed control of your right hand."

Chouji gasped, summoning Smash Mouth in an attempt to grab the girl, only for the stand's left hand to be grabbed by it's right.

"Don't you get it yet?" Ino drawled, shaking her head in disbelief as Chouji continued to struggle with his own hand, Her Stand looming over her shoulder, arms crossed over it's chest "Once I've marked something with my Paramore…it's already become 'mine'."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dire straits for Chouji and Lee...

Will these femme Fatales be enough to stop them?

Just what is orochimaru planning?

And where in the hell did Kiba run off to?!

Find out next time on Naruto no Kimiyona Bouken: Shippuden.!

Again, no stand stats this chapter, expect one next chapter, same Kyugan Time, Same Kyugan Channel!

Read and Review or be 'fingered' be Dio-sama!

WRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

Since Ino was nice enough to name it last chapter, she gets her Stand put up at the start of this chappie.

Stand: Paramore

User: Yamanaka Ino

Power: C Speed: C Range: B

Staying: C Precision: D Learning: A

1- Can 'Steal the sovereignty' of anything caught in the gaze of it's eyes.

2- When Paramore takes control of an object, a rose shaped tattoo will appear on it, granting her full control.

3- By targeting the head, Paramore can take control of the person's entire body.

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

Now many of you might think 'Hey! he's ripping off Bleach!', but please note that Zommari's abilities are HIGHLY simillar to the Yamanaka clan Jutsu, only spiced up with a JoJo feel. I was simply wracking my brains for a way to Ino to keep her 'mind control' powers and Zommari's 'Amor' simply came to mind.

It was either this, or give her an illusion based Stand. Now tell me, which sounds better?

That said, the description of what Paramore looks like was mentioned last chapter, so if you want it, you'll have to re-read the last chapter.

So then...shall we get started?

_HEAVEN OR HELL?_

_LET'S RAWK!!!_

* * *

Chapter 15: PINK & Paramore.

"Something is wrong…" Shino muttered, lifting his head slightly as he spoke "My beetles are detecting numerous stand energies activating across the campus…four in total."

"So it's begun huh?" Shikamaru noted with a scowl, sitting up straighter on the branch as he did so, bringing himself closer to his teammate "Anything we can do?"

"Unlikely," Shino countered, his eyes bunching together in a frown "The energies are split evenly, two of ours against two of theirs…in different parts of the academy."

"Where exactly." Shikamaru queried, already moving into his standard thinking position as he tried to formulate a battle scenario "And, if possible, who?"

"The first is Lee-sempai." Shino supplied, "He's battling someone on the roof, alone." He titled his head the to the side "The other is Chouji, but I only know this because I tagged everyone with beetles when everyone split up."

Shikamaru bit his lip at the thought of his friend being in trouble but fought it down with sheer level-headedness. As a strategist, he had to take into account the fact that Chouji was the team's hardest hitter…even Lee admitted that Smash Mouth packed more of a wallop than his own, and his ability to assimilate matter could prove very versatile.

The problem, however, was that out of all of them, Chouji wasn't the type to fight solely for his own benefit. He wasn't a natural brawler like Naruto or Kiba, nor a martial artist like Lee. The only reason he'd get involved in a scuffle was if his friends were in trouble or needed help…or if someone said THAT word.

Even Naruto wasn't ballsy enough to toss around THAT word without fear for the consequences…anyone that had the misfortune to utter it, regardless of age, gender or social standing, was in for a world of hurt.

"What about Lee Sempai?" he asked, looking towards the silent Aburame teen for information "Is he nearby?"

"He's on the roof…" Shino relayed diligently "Near the renovation area to the west." He titled his head in the direction mentioned "However…something about his energy seems…off…"

"Off?" Shikamaru repeated, looking entirely lost on the subject. Energy was energy right? And While Lee was like the living embodiment of the 'Go-Get'Em attitude', there wasn't anything particularly different about the energy his body produced…right?

"Oh wait…" Shikamaru sighed, coming to his own conclusion "You must be sensing that Hamon stuff Naruto and Sempai are always going on about."

"No." Shino assured him, brows bunching together in confusion "I have sensed the rippling waves of the Hamon in Gai-sensei and Lee-Sempai many times before…this is something else…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lee lay on the roof of the building, gasping for breath as he fought to keep his head off the ground, his eyes hovering half open. 'What's…wrong with me…?' the teen gasped, even his thoughts feeling sluggish as he tried to look up at his opponent 'I feel…so weak…so tired…'

"What's wrong Lee-kun?" Sakura called out, her tone laced with mock concern "You were so energetic earlier, leaping around like a grasshopper."

She leant against the edge of the roof, her legs crossed in what would have been a sexy manner had she any sort of figure under the school blouse, he Stand mimicking her pose as she flicked her hair "But then it's to be expected…" she boasted "having come into contact with my Stand."

"W-what…" Lee managed to get out, feeling like all his joints were packed with lead, his bones feeling as brittle as cheap glass "just what…my body…?"

"Feels heavy…right?" Sakura cut in, smirking coyly at the stricken teen from her perch just out of his striking reach "Like all you're youthful vigor's gone?"

"Kung…Fu…Generation!" Lee gasped out, lashing out with his bandages, only for them to hang limply against the girl's leg, as if soaked in water. 'Even my stand!'

"The stronger my opponent…" Sakura explained, kicking the limp bandages off without much fuss "The weaker they become, the braver my opponent, the sooner they run." She posed, one hand on her hip, her torso tilting in the opposite direction as she pointed down at the teen "Against the invincible power of my PINK, no one can defeat me!"

'Stronger…weaker?' Lee wondered, trying to make sense of the girl's ability 'I don't get it…one minute I'm raring to go…the next it's taking everything I have to keep my eyes open…'

"I hate energetic guys like you." Sakura pointed out, placing her foot on the teen's head, a cold look on her face "You always think you can do anything, and go rushing in headfirst without thinking of the consequences…" her face twisted into a scowl "The one man cavalry, the ones that everyone looks towards, the stereotypical 'nice guy'."

She ground her heel into the teen's head, ignoring his gasps of pain as she leant down, adding more weight to his skull "Didn't anyone ever tell you?" she drawled, a cold sneer stretching across her face "Nice guys finish last."

"GYAAAAAAAAH!!!!!" Lee howled, trying to pull himself out from under the foot, only for Sakura to start laughing.

"That's it!" the pinkette cackled, arms spread wide in victory "Scream! Beg! All who oppose us will howl like beaten Dogs! And I love that sound!"

"Then you're gonna LOVE me." A low voice growled, the girl whipping back, just in time to avoid a clawed hand aimed for her throat, yelping as it clawed her face up instead.

"W-who?!" the pinkette stammered, staggering backwards whilst covering her face, eyes widening at the apparently barren rooftop "N-nothing?! Where'd that Gejimayu-freak go!?"

"Sempai sure knows how to pick 'em." The voice from before growled, Sakura tensing up as she turned to gape at the lupine figure crouched behind her "Still, if you put HIM through the wringer…that must mean you're pretty strong…right?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lee gasped as he lay on top of the roof access, hidden from view by a small railing as he tried to gather himself.

'It's a good thing Kiba-kun came when he did.' he noted, holding his bleeding head tenderly, 'Any more and I think she'd have squashed me like a melon.' He winced as he felt the wound healing, albeit slowly 'Still…Kiba-kun doesn't know about her ability! And he's a close range fighter! My Kung-Fu Generation can attack at long range, but only as bandages! And right now they'd have little effect!'

"Kiba-kun…watch out…" he called out, voice too low to be heard by human ears "Her stand…don't touch her Stand!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kiba's left ear twitched, his eyes narrowing as he caught his weakened teammate's warning. 'Man…whatever she did to Sempai really messed him up.' His frown deepened as he recalled the older teen's condition 'Even the ripple he and Naruto use isn't having it's usual effect…' he glared at the trembling pinkette 'just what is this bitch's ability?'

"My face…" Sakura muttered, voice and shoulders trembling as she continued to cover her face with her hand "What is this…what's on my face?!" She lifted her hand away, green eyes widening as she gaped at the crimson liquid coating her palms "B-BLOOD! I'M BLEEDING! MY FACE IS BLEEDING!"

Kiba winced as the girl's shrieks rose in pitch, his ears flattening against his head out of instinct 'Damn she's loud.' He muttered, 'What'd she expect from a fight?'

"How dare you…" Sakura grumbled…her remaining fist tightening as she kept a hand to her face, eyes widening in rage as she summoned her stand "I'LL NEUTER YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Heading Lee's warning, Kiba leapt backwards, out of range of the punishing fists as Sakura's stand went on a warpath, seemingly dealing out twice as much damage than earlier as it attempted to flatten the wily lycanthrope.

'Strange…' he wondered, dancing and weaving just outside of the Stand's immediate range 'This thing isn't to hot…sure it's strong, but it couldn't hit the broadside of a barn!' he eyed the user coyly 'I get it…the user's so messed up she can't see straight…this'll be fun.'

"Bring it on bitch!" the lycan called out mockingly, flipping around like an acrobat, his animalistic grace allowing him to avoid the edge of the roof along with her Stand with ease "I thought you North Konoha pricks were supposed to be hot shit, but if this is the best you got you're less than Dog Shit!"

"SHANARRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!!!!" the enemy's stand roared out, fists crushing everything in it's path, with the exception of it's intended target.

"DAMMIT! Stand still so I can crush you!" Sakura cursed, a hand still covering her wound as she glared death at her opponent, looking around for Lee the entire time 'Damn! Why'd this idiot have to show up now?!' two more seconds and I'd have smashed that bushy-browed freak into the pavement!' she winced as Kiba leapt over her head, leering at her mockingly 'This is bad…my PINK's ability only lasts so long…have to take him out and find the other before he recovers!'

"What's-a-matter?" Kiba called out brazenly, leaping out of range again as PINK stormed past, "Guess you close range bastards ain't too sharp outside your range."

"Short range?" Sakura repeated, eyeing the lupine stand user coldly, a sneer creeping it's way onto her face from behind her hand "Is that what you said?" she chuckled, "True, My PINK works best up close…" The stand tilted it's head back slightly, the Jaw dropping like something out of 'The Mummy' to reveal a gaping void "but who said I couldn't attack outside it?"

Kiba cursed, leaping back out of the way, even as a PINK turned it's gaping maw towards him, his eyes widening as a wall of sound knocked him right out of the air.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Everything in this world is controlled by something else…" Ino explained, standing over Chouji's form as she did so "The seasons are controlled by the earth's position to the sun, the tide by the phases of the moon…even the human body responds to the brain." She held up a finger "This is called sovereignty."

Chouji struggled to right himself, glaring at her as his foot refused to respond to his commands, actually tripping him more often than not if he managed to get it under him at all.

"My Stand, Paramore." Ino explained, the Stand hovering before her, holding it's shoulders "Can steal the 'Sovereignty' of anything that falls beneath it's gaze…including your foot."

"How?" Chouji griped, glaring at her suspiciously, trying to keep her talking as he thought up a plan "My brain controls my body, how does marking my foot seize control?"

"Nerves." Ino supplied, oddly helpful considering she had him at her mercy "By seizing the control of the nerve endings in your foot, I can essentially override your brains commands."

"You must be a riot at parties." Chouji growled, pushing himself into a sitting position, his treacherous foot held down by his considerable weight, "You're pretty bold…telling me your ability like that."

"What would you be able to do about it?" Ino scoffed, smirking at him coyly, "One of your hands is mine, you cannot stand, and every time you attack…"

"SMASH MOUTH!" Chouji roared, his stand appearing before him like a shield, its left hand rushing towards Ino's flank as iff to swat her, even as she scoffed derogatively.

"Pointless," the blonde mocked, stepping out of the teen's range with a smirk, "I'll just grab it with your own-!"

She yelped as something slapped into the side of her Stand, sending a ripple of pain up her side as she stumbled to the floor, holding her flank with wide eyes. 'His Stand's arm…STRETCHED!' she realized, gaping as the arm receded back to it's normal length, like stretched rubber, the right hand gripping the expanding bicep 'if the right hand hadn't blocked the blow…' she winced as her ribs stung 'I'd be dealing with worse than a bruise right now.'

"How's that?" Chouji called out, a smirk on his features "Nowhere near as good as Lee-sempai and Naruto's, but my Stand's Zoom Punch is more than enough to give me an edge."

"K-Kisama…" Ino managed to grit out between clenched teeth, holding her right flank as she tried to stagger to her feet. The blow might not have been full strength, but it had been unexpected nonetheless, and the size of the bruise seemed to stretch all the way up her side, like being hit with a car door. 'Think he cracked some ribs…' she noted with a wince 'they're not broken, but it hurts to move too fast.'

"Not bad…" she allotted, staggering to knees with her teeth clenched together so tight she seemed to be snarling "So that's your Stand's ability? Stretching like rubber?"

"Maybe…" Chouji allotted, his hand flat on the ground, concealing the elastic band he'd pulled out of his pocket under his thumb, even as it crumpled to dust "or maybe not…"

"Either way!" Ino called out, rising to her feet shakily, her Stand looming before her, mimicking her pose as she covered her face with one hand, the other wrapped around her waist "The same trick won't work on me twice! I'm not giving you time to think up another one!"

Chouji choked as his treacherous right hand wrapped around his throat, the rose tattoo controlling it as he fought to breath, his left hand struggling futilely against it. 'Dammit! If 'd only brought something with carbon it I could harden my skin, but where am I gonna find something-?!'

He trailed off, mentally smacking himself for his blunder as he realized how stupid he was being. With a hoarse yell, Smash Mouth materialized and slapped a hand against the floor, much to Ino's bemusement. "Oh? A last ditch attempt?" she taunted, watching as the teen apparently seemed to struggle against his own hand "Pointless, with your breathing cut off your Stand's range and power are decreased…even the strongest stand users need to breath-!"

She trailed off as the floor beneath her gave way, a scream tearing from her lips as a massive crater opened up beneath her, her stand barely managing to grab the edge to keep her from falling in.

'W-WHAT?!' she stammered, eyeing the hole in disbelief 'I-it can't be! That's the basement! It's at least three stories down! And there's a layer of solid concrete between it and-!'

"Since you were…so considerate earlier" Chouji called out, the girl's eyes widening as she realized he was still able to talk, in fact, his breath seemed to be coming easier "I think it's only fair to say…My Stand's power isn't elasticity…it's mineral and nutrient absorption."

"How..?" Ino stammered, eyes widening as she gaped at the teen, taking in the change in skin tone, a grey, mixed with odd splashes of what looked suspiciously like the paint on the gym's floor "No way…"

"Bingo." Chouji rasped, sitting back on his rump, his treacherous foot stretched out away from him as he crossed the other, seemingly unconcerned with his own hand's now fruitless attempts to suffocate him "Smash mouth absorbs nutrients…and uses them to alter itself, or my body, as best suits the nutrients obtained…in this case…changing the density of my muscle to that of concrete."

"But where could you have gotten…" Ino demanded, only to trail off as the answer stared her in the face "you bastard-!"

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you." Chouji warned, his eyes hardening in the gloom "I may not be able to see in the dark, but I can hear pretty well…and the rubble from the floor collapsing sounded pretty distant." He glared at her barely visible stand "Now…you gonna tell me where Orochimaru is? Or do I gotta absorb more outta the floor?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Ino shrilled, eyes widening considerably with alarm "You'd fall too! And from this height, it wouldn't matter if you're hard as rock! You shatter once you hit the floor!"

"Wanna bet?" Chouji dared, his eyes hard despite the gloom of the hall "Last I checked I'm sitting by the wall…that means all I have to do is absorb as much concrete out of the floor near where YOU are."

"And you really think I'll let you?!" Ino snapped, only to yelp as the floor began to crumble beneath her, causing her to slip further down "W-wait! Let's talk about this!"

"Sure…after you tell me what you know about Orochimaru." Chouji stated calmly, though internally he was beginning to sweat. The floor was thin enough as it was, if he really did absorb any more there was no telling how much would fall in…and it WAS a long way down…

"I-I don't know!" Ino yelped, holding onto Paramore's hand for dear life, as she scrabbled for a stronger handhold "Orochimaru-sensei never tells us anything! We just do as he says because…" she trailed off, clamping her teeth together tightly with a stubborn glare.

"Because?" Chouji pried, wondering just why a girl, a notably hot one he'd admit guiltily, would go along with a sick freak like this Orochimaru seemed to be. He dimly wondered if it was blackmail…or something MUCH worse.

"None of your damn business!" Ino snapped back, managing to get a relatively firm grip on the ledge "I'm not going to tell you squat! I'm not losing this fight!"

Chouji blinked, only to gape as his hand flew from his neck, knocking him off balance enough for his treacherous foot to get under him, causing him to kick away from the wall, closer to the gaping pit. "If I'm going down…" Ino swore, grabbing the shocked teen by the front of his shirt, with a smirk "Then I'm taking you with me!"

Chouji couldn't even yell as the edge of the pit gave way under their combined weight, sending them plummeting into the shadows below.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'What's going on?' Kiba growled, shaking his head in attempt to clear it, only for his vision to swim around in a blur like a drunken hobo's on holiday 'Shit…everything's all messed up…can't even see straight.' He winced again as he realized there was a shrill tone echoing in his ear 'Can't hear anything either…wonderful.'

Clambering to his feet and grabbing a nearby vent for support, the lupine teen gazed blearily around the deserted roof, trying to detect his assailant before she got too close, something that would've been a lot easier were it not for his knee's attempts at folding like deck chairs. 'Dammit! What the hell'd she hit me with?' he wondered, his hackles raised in defiance as he backed into a corner, putting the wall against his back to prevent sneak attacks 'Like a wall of sound or something…whatever it was it's messed me up even more than her-!'

He rolled aside even as a fist punched through the thin metal of the vent, sending a burst of steam and dust flying after him as it withdrew. Fighting to remain upright without the support of something to lean on, Kiba found himself stumbling as he back against the edge of the roof, nearly toppling backwards over the low wall.

'SHIT!' he swore, collapsing to his knees, one hand gripping the wall to keep him from falling flat on his face 'If I could just get my thoughts together…!'

That particular train of debate ended rather abruptly, as a fist rammed into his jaw with the force of a freight train, sending him skidding along the roof on his cheek, the other dented inwards with the imprint of said fist.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Kiba-kun!' Lee exclaimed, biting his lip to keep from crying out loud, his eyes widening as he watched his ally sprawl limply on the floor, head twisted to one side 'This is bad' he noted, watching as their adversary stepped nimbly into view, still covering her face, before trying to get his knees under him 'I have to…!'

He flinched as his back protested against the sudden movement, only to blink as he realized the pain wasn't as severe as it had been. Deciding to test it out, he took a light, cautious breath, having learned the hard way that large breaths cost him terribly, and was almost elated when he felt the telltale trickle of ripple energy course through him, weak, but there. That small ripple soothed his aching joints, and filled his tired muscles with some of the usual vigor, not enough to run a marathon perhaps, but at least enough to speed up his recovery.

'It seems her ability wears off after a set period of time.' He noted, taking deeper, longer breaths as he felt his strength return with agonizing slowness 'I just hope it wears off in time…!'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You…son of a bitch…" Sakura hissed, standing over the limp form of Kiba, one hand to her face, the other supporting her elbow "Don't you know a woman's face is her treasure?"

PINK emphasized its master's ire by grabbing the lycan and smashing him against the wall a few times, not hard enough to do permanent damage, but enough to ensure he didn't make any sudden moves.

"It hurts so much…" Sakura muttered, lifting her hand away for the first time to reveal five long, jagged scratches that trailed diagonally from her jaw to her forehead, her face streaked with sweat and drying blood, her green yes cold and spiteful "Do you know how long these will take to heal up?! What'll you do if I'm scarred for life you bitch!"

She smacked the lycan, hard, his head rocking to the side sharply as he hung in the grip of the psychotic girl's stand, apparently out cold.

"You think you're hot stuff," Sakura muttered, reaching a hand behind her back, even as she held Kiba's head up by his hair, "marching in here and trying to disrupt everything my happy high school life." She glared at him, pulling out a retractable craft knife from somewhere behind her back "That isn't how the story goes you mongrel. You're the bad guys here, the invaders, come to take my prince from me." She leaned in close "And I'm the princess that will stop you."

Smirking, she pushed the edge of the crafting knife out, holding Kiba's head high so his throat was visible "You'd know this if you'd ever picked up a book in your life." She mocked, lifting her arm back for the final blow "The Princess ALWAYS wins in the end…" She jabbed the blade towards the lycan's throat "and the wolf ALWAYS dies!"

"KUNG-FU GENERATION!"

Sakura blinked, eyes widening as bandages flew from behind her, wrapping around her wrist, elbow and shoulder, effectively trapping her arm, the blade scant millimeters from Kiba's throat. Turning her head she glared at the sight of Lee, who was leaning against the wall, out of breath, but in much better condition than he had been, his arm extended towards her, a fistful of bandages clenched between his fingers. 'DAMMIT! The effect must be wearing off!' the pinkette cursed, struggling to free herself from the bandages 'This is bad, I have to finish this pest off before he regains his full strength!'

"Let him go…" Lee ordered, his face regaining more of it's youthful sheen as he continued to catch his breath "I don't want to hurt you…Haruno-san…but if you do not desist…"

"You'll what?" Sakura cut in, smirking at him coyly "Beat me up? Can you do it Lee-KUN? Can you really bring yourself to hit me? Even after all I've done?" her smirk widened as she caught him flinch 'Bingo, he's the type that would NEVER hit a woman no matter what she did!' she renewed her struggle against the bonds 'All I need is a few more seconds and-!'

Sakura froze, a look of horror crossing the pinkette's face as the side of a clawed hand slapped against her throat, causing her to collapse to her knees, choking. "Sempai…" Kiba called out, staggering as PINK released him, his tone drained, but strangely amused, as if he were savoring some sort of joke "Not that I don't agree with your morals…but this guy's even game for an ass kicking."

Lee blinked in confusion, looking between the distressed pinkette and his lupine comrade, trying to come to grips with Kiba's reasoning.

"I thought there was something off about you as we fought." Kiba muttered, leaning against anther vent for support as he glared at their opponent whilst tapping his nose "My sense of smell's a lot stronger in this form, strong enough that I can tell what you had for breakfast this morning, as well as what type of soap you use." He smirked "It was a protein shake and cherry-scented, just to prove I'm not bluffing."

"I fail to see what this has to do with the situation, Kiba-kun." Lee muttered, fighting to keep the image of Sakura taking a bath out of his head. Now was not the time to ogle the enemy, for that was the un-youthful path.

"C'mon sempai…" Kiba admonished, smirking at the befuddled track star with a shit-eating grin on his face "With a nose this finely tuned…you think I couldn't distinguish between guys and gals?"

Lee blinked, before paling in horror as he gaped at the coughing figure on the ground, a sick feeling building up in his stomach as Kiba's words caused his guiltily fantasies to warp drastically "You…You mean…?!"

"We got a cross dresser on our hands?" Kiba supplied, watching with secret glee as Lee turned a shade of green close to his tracksuit "'fraid so…makes me wanna take a bath just for touching him."

"SHUT UP!" Sakura snapped, looking flushed, winded, mortified and pissed beyond belief whilst struggling to stand up "WHAT THE HELL WOULD YOU GUY'S KNOW?!"

"Enough to know that just changing the wrapping doesn't change the PACKAGE." Kiba quipped, a mocking leer crossing his features, even as he leant against the wall, a lot more subdued than he would normally be "S'funny…can't seem to work up the energy to be disgusted."

"YOU SON OF A BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH-!!!" Sakura snarled, lunging forwards with the knife, only to be cut off mid-scream by a plethora of bandages that wrapped around her, or him rather, veritably mummifying the pinkette and PINK, which had been attempting to materialize to aid it's master.

"I don't think so…" Lee called out, his voice no longer as warm and friendly as it had been up till now. It was if a switch had gone off in the teen's head, changing his outlook and opinions "You've done more than enough damage for one day…"

Sakura turned, eyes widening as the look in the bushy-browed teen's eyes registered, Kung-Fu Generations' bandages, which extended from it's upper body, literally humming with energy.

"Hamon-ryu…" Lee growled, sparks beginning to gather round his fist as he grabbed the bandages tight "SHOCKING WHITE OVERDRIVE!!!!"

"GYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kiba winced as the pinkette's screams tore through the air, the smell of burning hair and clothes causing his ears to flatten against his head, even as he sank onto the floor with a groan. 'Man…' he muttered, shaking his head with a bemused smirk 'So this is what it feels like to think calmly' he scowled '…can't say I like it all that much…takes all the fun out of life…'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That hurt…" Chouji muttered, coughing out dust as he sat up off the floor. The teen had fallen all the way to the basement of the gym, fortunately landing on a pile of used wrestling uniforms that, if the smell was any guess, belonged to a herd of incontinent hippos…with skin disorders.

Not that he was one to look a gift horse in the mouth, crashing into unwashed jock-straps beat crashing into the unforgiving concrete floor any day of the week in his opinion, but god DAMN if the smell wasn't enough to put even HIM off his food.

'Stay focused,' he ordered himself, staring into the dimly lit room warily 'If I'm here then she cant be too far away.'

True enough a groan reached his ears, drawing his attention to what looked like a collapsed pile of moldy gym mats, on which a rather tempting leg was draped in a manner that gave him an interesting view.

'GAH!' he yelped, covering his mouth and nose to ward off a nose bleed, whilst banishing any thoughts of taking advantage of that forbidden fruit eith every ounce of will he possessed as he made his way over ."You okay?" he hazarded, shaking the blonde's shoulder gently, trying to avoid moving her head too much incase of neck damage, only to stumble as Ino's eyes flashed open, locking onto his own with a look of triumph, Chouji's world going black even as he cursed his good nature.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Idiot." Ino muttered, watching the tub of lard fall over backwards, her rose tattoo adorning his face "Teach him to underestimate a psychology-major." She winced as her joints popped "Still…gotta hand it to him…he was pretty ballsy, making the roof fall in like that."

Stepping gingerly off the pile, she hobbled towards a stack of rusted javelins, stashed away in the corner due to their lack of usability. Hefting one of the smaller ones, it's edge so rusted even rubbing against it presented a high risk of tetanus, she made her way towards the prone form of her opponent, an almost pensive look on her face. "Sorry…" she mumbled, honestly surprised at how sincere she felt saying it "You seem like a decent enough guy…" she raised the javelin over her head "But I can't let you guys hurt Sasuke-kun."

"Who's Sasuke?"

Ino whirled round, eyes wide in shock as she scanned the basement for trouble, Paramore appearing behind her, looking just as disheveled as her master. "Who's there?!" the blonde called out, holding the javelin before her like a spear "You with him?! In that case stand back or I'll-!"

"Before you think of threatening my friend's life, look behind you." The voice prompted, Ino using Paramore to do so, eyes widening as she realized the recumbent teen was no longer there "I moved him while you were looking for me…that the thing about long range Stands…they can go where they want and you'd never guess it."

"You think you can scare me?!" Ino shrilled, honestly terrified as she brought her Stand to bear, eyeing the shadows warily "I'll use my Paramore to drag you out of the shadows!"

"I'm afraid that just won't be possible." The voice countered, Ino's eyes widening as she noticed the shadows were deepening, the light overhead shattering with a burst of glass and filament.

"PARAMORE!" Ino cried out, her Stand's eyes opening wide as it tried to pierce the darkness to find their new enemy, only to find an even DEEPER darkness swooping in from all sides "It can't be…" she muttered, shivering as she held the javelin close to her chest like It was some sort of lifeline "Wha-what are you…?!"

"I AM the shadows." The distant voice cut in, Ino backing away from the reaching tendrils even as Paramore tried to swat them away, only for more to lash out at her like featureless tentacles, her Stand soon all but disappearing into the gloom "There is nothing you can drag me out of."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so the battles draw to a close, each in there own ways.

Will Naruto be getting in on the action next time?

Just how will Sasuke take the loss of these pawns?

And Where is Neji? Has he abandoned the search.

Tune in next time for the next chapter of Naruto no Kimyona Bouken: Shippuden.

Also, as an end of chappie treat: Sakura's Stand!

Stand: PINK

User: Haruno Sakura

Power: B Speed: C Range: C

Staying: D Precision: D Learning: C

1- Capable of producing a sonic scream that disorients the target.

2- Power increases when user is angry, but accuracy drops.

3- Anyone struck by the stand has his or her personality reversed (Smart becomes stupid, brave becomes cowardly etc)

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

Plz read and review...my computer needs lots of them to continue updating!

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

Sadly, no new Stand updates yet, you'll have to wait until somone new gets involved, which wont be for some time.

That said, a new addition to the quest makes an appearance this chappie!

To find out who, you'll have to read on!

HEAVEN OR HELL?

LET'S RAWK!!

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Determination.

"Jeeze sempai…" Kiba muttered, wincing at the smell of fried hair and what smelled suspiciously like the shampoo Hana used on the dogs as he wafted smoke out of his face "You're brutal you know?"

"Hamon energy is normally not lethal to humans." Lee countered, his bandages slipping back under his sleeves as he released the charred, smoking form of their opponent, who collapsed on the floor, smoke trailing from mouth, nostrils and hair "However, the human body is a marvelous conduit for ripples, so sending a surge like that through it should keep a full grown man down for at least a day."

"Dunno about full grown," Kiba muttered, watching the smoking form at his feet warily "But definitely a man on our hands here…freaking weirdo."

"Yes…" Lee muttered, eyeing the smoldering form warily, before looking over at his companion "Kiba-kun…were you serious when you said Sakura-san was…"

"A Tranny?" Kiba cut in, smirking tiredly as the older teen flinched, a flush on his features "'fraid so Sempai…you just don't got the magic when it comes to women." He scowled "That being said…what the hell do they see in that blonde bastard anyways…"

"Naruto-kun is an enigma…" Lee admitted with a weak chuckle, flushing slightly at the memory of Anko-sensei's actions after the fight, which Kiba was blissfully unaware of "Waitaminute! If I'm bad then what about you?!"

"Me? Ladies LOVE the Kiba…" the lycanthrope smirked, even as he shifted back into his human form, fur and fangs receding into the wild haired youth, who crumpled to the floor with a grunt.

"Funny…I didn't know leaving people upside down in trashcans was a sign of affection." Lee noted, holding his chin and looking the other way, even as Kiba glared at him "But enough about that…we need to find the others…if we got split up then the enemy knows we're here."

"You go on ahead." Kiba grunted, one arm resting on his knee, his eyes red from exhaustion "I need to wait for that bitch's ability to wear off before I can move."

"No!" Lee exclaimed, kneeling down next to his comrade, who recoiled slightly at the sight of the sparkles hovering around him "I cannot leave you here like this! The enemy could come to see what happened?"

"And just how do you intend to get me off the roof?" Kiba asked, quirking an eyebrow, only to blink as Lee grabbed him under the elbows and hoisted him up "Huh? What the-?!"

"UOOOOH!!!!" Lee yelled, hurling Kiba into the air, the teens arms and legs waving wildly as he tried to remain airborne, only to come crashing down on the older teen's back.

"DAMMIT SEMPAI!" Kiba yelled, his heart beating a mile a minute "YOU TRYING TO KILL…me…?"

The wild teen trailed off as he realized exactly what Lee was doing, and exactly what kind of image was being presented. The battered track star was currently carrying the younger teen piggyback, made all the more disturbing by the fact that Kiba was currently topless, his jacket hanging around his waist by straps holding it to his pants. "OH HELL NO!" the lycan yelped, trying to wriggle off of Lee's back, only to find the older teen had a pretty good grip under his legs "KUSO! HANASE-!"

"YOSH! To the infirmary!" Lee called out, the sparkles around his head glittering as he charged full speed AWAY from the door to the roof, heading towards the edge.

"AAAHH-!" Kiba yelled, eyes wide with terror as he realized Lee's intentions "BAKA! YOU'RE GONNA KILL US!" His struggles persisted even after Lee had leapt out into the air "YEEEAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH-!!!"

"KANG-FU GENERASHON!!" Lee yelled, his stand's bandages lashing onto a rafter, allowing him to halt their fall, before lowering them to the ground like a life-rope.

Kiba, who felt as if he'd lost a year off his life, simply clung tighter to the elder teen's back like an infant Koalla, image be damned. "You're fucking crazy, you know that?"

"Hang on, we're going to drop down." Lee called out, Kiba opening his mouth to protests, even as the bandage was released, the process repeating itself. "We can't risk the inside routes…the enemy could have spies anywhere." He smiled "Besides, this is faster than taking the stairs."

'Faster or not, I'll take the stairs over a heart attack any day…' Kiba muttered, but kept his mouth shut in case he bit his tongue during the next drop.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ino backed away, eyes wide with terror as the shadows moved to envelop her along with her stand, stumbling over what felt like a large sack, letting out a yelp as she fell backwards, only for a pair of arms to wrap around her from behind, an arm snaking around her neck in a choke hold.

"Now then…" a lazy looking teen with a spiky ponytail muttered, looking down at the terrified girl as the shadows receded, revealing Paramore bound by an amorphous mass of shadows with multiple red eyes "Just who is this Sasuke you were so desperate to protect?"

"W-who are you?!" Ino demanded, struggling to escape the teen's hold, only for him to tighten it in response, nearly choking her in the process.

"I'm asking the questions here." The teen reminded her, his tone calm, but decidedly stern, like a detective questioning a convict "Besides, you really think I'll just give my name away to someone who just tried to kill my friend?"

'Dammit! That guy had backup?!' Ino swore, trying to recall her stand, only to grit her teeth in frustration as the shadows tightened their bind on it.

"Now, I'll ask you again…" her captor muttered, his hold not loosening in the slightest as he did so "Who is this Sasuke…and how many of you Stand users are there working with Orochimaru?"

The blonde's eyes widened as she realized just how well informed her enemy seemed to be. Not only had he been able to get the drop on her, but he apparently knew that Orochimaru-sensei was involved…which meant they knew about the arrow. "What will you do if I tell you?" she demanded "How do I know you won't kill me once you get what you want?"

"I ain't in the habit of hitting women." Her captor assured her, his voice sounding increasingly bored "But then again, I can't have you coming back to bite us in the ass, so most likely I'd leave you tied up somewhere you'd be found eventually."

"Real chivalrous." Ino snorted, her face twisting scornfully as she narrowed her eyes "Do you really think you can threaten me into spilling everything?"

"I really don't think I'll understand women." Her captor muttered, shaking his head in disbelief at her apparent bravado "How do you think you can beat me on your own with your head in a lock? Never mind the fact I have your stand."

"Who said I was on my own?" Ino purred, even as a large shadow loomed behind her captor, grabbing him by the shoulders and hurling him off her.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shikamaru yelped as he crashed into a cage of old balls, sending them spilling all over the basement as he struggled to his feet, gaping at his assailant in alarm. "Wha-Chouji?" he stammered, gaping at the form of his childhood friend in alarm "You're awake? Forget that, what'd you toss me for?!"

When Chouji didn't reply, the Nara scion frowned, eyeing his friend warily as he waved unsteadily on his feet, like he'd had one to many the night before. His eyes trailed up the teen's hulking form towards the head, widening as he gaped at the Rose tattoo on Chouji's face.

"Looks like you figured it out…" Ino called out, rubbing her neck from her spot on the floor, rising to her feet gracefully "So what if you have my stand? I marked your friend's head, that means his brain is mine."

"Bitch…" Shikamaru muttered, looking between the two with growing disdain, his fists clenching at her tactics "You people don't fight fair do you?"

"You're the invaders here." Ino pointed out, sidling behind Chouji, using him as an impromptu meat shield "It stands to reason that we use the home field advantage." She placed a hand on Chouji's chin from behind "And what about you? If using my stand ability is cheating, what does using your own mean?"

"Point." Shikamaru allotted, backing up warily "But think about it, so you can use Chouji as a puppet, I still have your Stand hostage, and last I checked, anything that happens to a Stand will be mirrored by the user."

"So what if you have my stand?" Ino noted, a smirk on her lips as she ruffled Chouji's hair "Can you bring yourself to attack your friend to get to me?"

With that, Chouji lunged forwards, arms spread wide to tackle his friend, even as Shikamaru dodged to the side, having anticipated the move. 'Chouji's strong, but not too fast.' He noted, stepping nimbly out of reach of one of his friend's swipes 'If I can lure him far enough away from her I can-!'

Shikamaru's train of thought was rudely interrupted as, to his horror, Chouji's Smash Mouth loomed up beside him with it's fists raised, an identical tattoo adorning its face, like it's master. The Nara barely managed to roll out f the way as twin fists the size of his torso crashed into the floor, leaving a good-sized crater in their wake.

"Hoh…" Ino noted, raising an eyebrow from her perch atop a vaulting-horse "you're friend's got himself a pretty powerful Stand, don't you think?" She frowned "Too bad I can't use it to it's fullest, but it should be more than enough to beat you to a pulp."

'Mendokuse…' Shikamaru muttered, backing away from Chouji warily 'What a troublesome ability…not only does she have Chouji under her control, but Smash Mouth too.' He shot the shadows a look 'I could recall Cloud-9, but then I'd have her Stand coming after me as well…and two on one doesn't look good no matter what scenario I run through my head.'

"What will you do?" Ino called out, smirking to herself as she crossed her legs, one hand supporting her chin "You could try to attack me yourself, but then your friend or his Stand will crush you. You COULD release my Stand to defend yourself…but then you'd be vulnerable to my ability."

'Dammit this girl likes to run her mouth.' Shikamaru muttered, eyebrow twitching as he backed further away 'with things as they are I can barely keep my grip on her Stand either way.' He leapt out of Smash Mouth's way, noting with a frown that he was being driven further back each time 'clever…she's putting distance between us…probably thinks my stand's strength is determined by it's distance from me…'

He blinked, before narrowing his eyes in readiness as he leapt back into the shadows "CLOUDO-NINE!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ino smirked as the teen apparently recalled his Stand, the shadows enveloping him as he backed into a corner. "So you finally lost your nerve have you?" she taunted, recalling her Stand in a flash, her arms over her head as Paramore took up position before her "Too bad, looks like your Stand's range isn't too hot." She smirked as she sent Chouji and Smash Mouth into the corner, fists raised "I on the other hand don't need to lift a finger!"

"ZURYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Smash Mouth roared out, fists flying in all directions as it bore down on Shikamaru's last known position, a horrible crunching noise filling the basement as it tore into anything that had been foolish enough to get in its way.

"Idiot." Ino muttered, looking a little disappointed at how easily her opponent had gone down "Backing himself into a corner like that, what the hell was he thinking?"

"On how to best get the drop on you." Shikamaru's voice called out from all around, startling the girl out of her wits as she leapt off the vaulting horse just before a clawed hand slashed it in half.

"Wh-what the hell?!" Ino gaped, bringing Paramore to bear, only for the hand to recede back where it came, the ceiling "Where are you?!"

"Did we forget already?" Shikamaru taunted, his tone mocking "You may control Chouji and can use him as a shield or hostage, but I control the shadows little girl, so long as you remain in the shadows, you're MINE."

As if to emphasize this, several slits began to form around Ino, the girl's eyes widening in terror as they revealed themselves to be glowing red eyes, each locking onto her with a manic, almost animalistic hunger. "Paramore!" She cried out, her Stand's eyes widening as she did so, several of them locking onto various eyeballs, leaving a rose tattoo on them.

"Hah! How'd you like that?!" the blonde called out, her look of terror fading toone of absolute confidence as she smirked "I got your stand tough guy!"

"To quote a friend: The hell're you aiming at?" Shikamaru shot back, Ino blinking in confusion as something, make that several something's, fell to the floor, her eyes widening as she realized exactly what she'd 'captured'. "I've heard of playing with your balls but come on woman."

"You sick pervert!" Ino swore, spinning round in disgust, scanning the eyes around her with her Paramore for her opponent "I'll find you eventually dammit!"

"And how many of your eyes will that take?" Shikamaru taunted, causing the girl's blood to freeze "Didn't think I'd notice? Every time you use your ability, one of your stand's pupils dilates…I'm guessing each eye can control only one target, and you've almost used them all up."

"S-so what?!" Ino snapped, gritting her teeth in defiance "You can't skulk around here forever! Sooner or later I'll nail your stand and then you're mine!" She smirked "After that…well, the wrestling team's toilets haven't been cleaned in a while…"

"Charming…" Shikamaru muttered, his voice still echoing from all sides like some ghost from beyond "But you'll need to drag me out first, and that ain't happening."

"You think so?" Ino replied with a smirk, backing away the whole time with Paramore before her to ward off attacks "I think you're forgetting one all-important thing here…I have the home field advantage!"

With that she whipped round, slapping her hand towards the wall, flipping a switch and activating the few remaining lights that remained after part of the ceiling collapsed, filling the room with light, albeit flickering in certain parts, and revealing Shikamaru, gaping at her in surprise from a corner to her right.

"Hmmph…run out of witty one liners?" Ino mocked, titling her head to the side, her hand on her hips "I suppose you deserve some credit…you lasted pretty long despite me having the advantage." She snapped her fingers and Chouji loomed up behind her "But it's over."

Shikamaru scowled, glaring at the girl as his friend lumbered towards him, arms outstretched to prevent him dashing out of the corner, Smash Mouth's fists raised to smite him should he attempt anything. "Any last words?" Ino called out, standing behind her puppet with all the confidence and swagger of a queen, only to Blink as Shikamaru smirked.

"Yeah…" the Nara scion admitted, even as Smash Mouth's fists descended on him like wrecking balls "Check…"

Ino's head yanked back as something grabbed her by the ponytail, the girl letting out a yelp of pain, only to be silenced as her head crashed against the floor with a nasty crack, sending her into the blissful darkness once more.

"And mate." Shikamaru finished, sighing in relief as Smash Mouth faded out of sight a hair's breadth from connecting with his face, Chouji slumping face down before him "Mendokuse…" he muttered, eyeing the two unconscious teens in annoyance "You mean I gotta carry both of 'em outta here?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neji, a perpetual frown marring his features, rounded the corner sharply, making his way towards the main building of the campus. Something was happening there, he'd felt a tremor coming from the gym, one that did NOT feel like a natural earthquake, which Konoha had never suffered before.

'Renovations?' he wondered, only to shake his head 'No it was too small, and the work teams do not work while there are classes in session…' his frown deepened 'This requires investigation.'

"Mou, slow down will you?" his roommate, a healthy looking youth with brown hair, tied in a braid at the back, called out "What's the big hurry?"

"I do not recall asking you to accompany me, Saotome." Neji countered, looking over at his companion calmly "In fact, I believe I said I could handle this on my own."

"Hey…" Saotome muttered, an annoyed look in those brown eyes "in case you forgot, Hinata is my friend…if this has anything to do with her, I'm coming with you."

Neji frowned, apparently torn between his stubborn pride and common sense, before snorting and turning on his heel to continue down the hallway "Do as you wish…"

"Hai!" Saotome chirped, giving off a mock salute before following after the Hyuuga, matching his pace easily "So any clues as to what's going on?"

"None." Neji admitted sourly, as though it were a direct insult to himself and his abilities "Whoever the enemy is, they've proven extremly skilled at covering their tracks."

"Yakuza?" Saotome suggested after a moment's thought, only to pout as Neji shook his head in denial "Come on, you have to admit they'd be interested."

"Hinata-sama's abilities are…unpredictable." Neji countered, frown deepening ever so slightly "Even she cannot fully control them, but even so, they have been kept a guarded secret…only the her direct family should know of them."

"Which means it's someone she knows." The braided teen muttered, looking mildly distressed at the thought "But who? Who gains to profit from her kidnapping?"

"That's what I intend to find out." Neji stated, eyes settling in a determined scowl as he pushed past a gaggle of twittering fangirls that had tried to chat him up.

'Neji…' the braided teen noted, eyeing the retreating back of the Hyuuga with a small smile whilst assuring the girls they hadn't done anything to piss the prodigy off 'You may not show it…but you're worried about Hinata-chan.'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's over…" Sasuke stated coldly, snapping his mobile shut as he spoke, a scornfull look in his eyes as he turned to Orochimaru "It seems your pawns have failed."

"MY pawns?" the corrupt councilor repeated, sounding highly amused by the comment "My-my Sasuke-kun whatever do you mean? I'M not the one those two were fighting for."

"Pointless." Sasuke muttered, moving a chess piece across the board with an impassive expression "You should have sent stronger opponents, you play things TOO carefully."

"And YOU are too forward in your approach." Orochimaru countered, claiming the teen's rook with his own "So willing to sacrifice your bigger pieces to finish things quickly, you forget, even a pawn can become a queen."

"Not those two." Sasuke muttered derisively, face set in a neutral scowl as he moved his King to a more defensible position, ignoring Orochimaru chuckles.

"Indeed…poor little girls." The councilor sighed, dripping with mock sincerity "Their little fantasies are no doubt crushed forever by these crippling defeats." He moved a pawn to claim Sasuke's castle "Still, at least now we know not to pussy foot around." He smirked as he claimed Sasuke's King with his Queen "Check and mate…you still have a ways to go, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn." Sasuke snorted, rising to his feet, his North Konoha Gakuen uniform, white instead of the usual blue, a stark contrast to the gloom of the office as he made his way to the door.

"Kukukukukuku...Always the sore loser." Orochimaru chuckled, watching the teen skulk off to parts unknown "Still, that's what I, like about you…Sasuke-kun."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"W-what the hell?" Neji gaped, eyeing the hole in the middle of the gym in alarm, a similar expression on his companion's face "What on earth happened here?"

"A fight by the looks of it." Saotome noted, stepping nimbly around a patch of floor that crumbled inwards into the abyss "Stand users too if I'm any judge."

"No really? You think?" Neji muttered, a little unfairly he'd admit, but was in no mood to put up with his companion's sense of humor "We need to split up, from what I can tell, there's no-one down there anymore."

"Gotcha!" Saotome acknowledged, giving the teen a mock salute before dashing off to scour the east side of the campus, leaving Neji to his silent contemplation.

'Who would be so brazen as to launch an attack on North Konoha Gakuen, regardless of being a stand user?' he wondered, only to scowl as one particular face came to mind, a whiskered face set with blue eyes and blonde hair 'That damn Yankee…he WOULD go this far…'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto yawned, sitting up on the hospital bed with a grunt as he popped his back muscles "That was a good nap…" he muttered, tossing the quilt off and donning his coat and bandanna once again from the small chair next to his bed "Still…I wonder if the guys found anything yet?"

Shrugging it off, the teen decided to ask questions later, making his way to the door and stepping out, only to bump into someone, knocking them to the floor. "Ah, Wari!" he called out, keeping his footing due to experience, only to blink as he realized the figure he'd knocked over wasn't all that big "eh? What's a kid doing here?"

The girl, who was holding her head from where she'd run into him, looked up in annoyance, startling the teen with her familiar white eyes "Who're you calling a kid?" she demanded, looking adorably annoyed as she did so "I'll have you know I'm eleven years old!"

"R-right." Naruto muttered, unused to kids that struck an attitude equal to his own, shaking himself out of his daze in order to offer her a hand up "Sorry about that," he repeated "here, lemme help you up."

"No thank you." The girl countered with a side order of ice, ignoring the outstretched hand in favor of getting to her feet herself "I'm quite capable of standing on my own."

'Mouthy little runt aren't you?' Naruto muttered, a barely noticeable vein bulging over his eyebrow, only to shrug it off and turn away "Yeah whatever, see ya around kid."

"I'm not a kid!" the girl insisted petulantly, only to frown at his back, taking in his appearance as if seeing him for the first time "Wait…you aren't a student here…"

"Neither are you from the looks of things." Naruto shot back, eyeing the girl's outfit with a quirked eyebrow. She wore a purple T-shirt with long white sleeve underneath, a belt around her waist holing up what looked to be a white mini-skirt. Baggy, purple leg-warmers covered her knees and feet, and her hands sported fingerless skate gloves. "So what're you doing here?"

"None of your business." The girl replied, looking away from him with a huff, her arms crossed before her "I might ask you the same thing…you don't look like the type to be admitted."

"Oi…" Naruto ground out, starting to feel his hair-trigger trembling "I'm sorry I bumped into you alright? But you shouldn't be running in the halls." He blinked, "What were you running for anyway?"

"There she is!" a voice called out, the duo looking up in alarm as several campus security guards rounded the corner with night-sticks "Another one! Grab 'em both!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Damn! They found me!" the girl cursed, dashing down the corridor, only to blink as someone pulled up alongside her at an impressive speed, knees pumping like mad "W-wha?!" she exclaimed, looking up in shocked disbelief at the teen from earlier, who was matching her speed and course without any signs of fatigue "Hey! Stop following me!"

"Following you?!" the blonde teen called out through gti teeth, rounding a corner at full speed, his earlier mishap forgotten "YOU'RE the one following me!"

"You're leading them right to me you idiot!" the girl shot back, not looking back as the security guards rounded the corner after them "If they catch me because of you you're sooooo dead!"

"Would you shut the hell up already?!" the blonde snapped back, barely dodging a protruding fire-extinguisher as he dashed onwards "Kuso! Why'd I have to run into a brat like you!"

"Feeling's mutual you baka-Yankee!" the girl shot back, lightning sparking between them as the matched each other's gaze, only to look up as a T-junction appeared ahead "I'm going right! Don't follow me!" the girl called out, only to blink as she realized her 'follower' had already hauled ass round the left corner 'Hmmph…good riddance.' She muttered, taking her own path, smirking as she heard the guards reach the junction 'Perfect,' she thought 'All I have to do is lose these idiots and they'll go after him! Flawless!'

"There he is!" came a yell from behind, the guards tearing off after the dimwit from before, leaving the girl to chuckle at her good fortune, before walking calmly down the hallway, right up until something slammed her into the wall.

"Think you're clever you little bitch?" an irate voice hissed, a rather ugly looking campus guard holding her off the ground by her neck, the imprint of a shoe on his face "You think I'd forget this? AH?!"

'D-damn porker!' the girl gasped, kicking futilely as she struggled with his grip 'Can't…breath…!' she thrust a hand out the side, as if expecting something to come out of her sleeve, only for nothing to happen 'Dammit! I forgot the breathing!'

"Think you're all smart, running around like a rat in a maze." The guard muttered, his free hand doing something out of her sight "Got a smart mouth on ya too…let's see if we can't put it to good use…"

The girl's eyes widened as the telltale sound of a zipper opening reached her ears, her struggles increasing ever more even as he tightened his grip on her throat, eye widening as something was rubbed against her leg.

A fist came out of nowhere, slugging the guard square in the side of his ugly face and sending him sailing down the hallway, dropping her in the process. As she lay there, catching her breath, she looked up, eyes widening in disbelief at her rescuer.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Teme…" Naruto growled, looming over the gaping guard, his fists trembling and pure, unrestrained loathing building up behind his eyes "You just made the biggest damn mistake of your life…"

Before the man could voice his opinion, Naruto's foot lashed, out, lodging itself in the man's mouth, sending teeth and all attempts at reasoning flying, the guard collapsing in a fit, gasping like a landed trout.

"You bastards can chase me all you want…" Naruto ground out "You can hunt me like a fox, you can beat me like a dog, hell I'd probably give as much back and thank you for the fight." He leant down in the man's face "But trash like you that'd rape a little kid…piss me RIGHT THE FUCK OFF!!!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What followed next was the most graphic, unrestrained, case of sheer animal brutality the girl had ever seen, almost like something out of that anime her cousin liked to watch as a kid. 'Hokuto no ken.' She recalled, as if in a daze, watching with wide eyes as her apparent savior got creative with a broom 'That was NOT meant to be put there…especially head first…'

Needless to say sitting down would prove an interesting spectacle for the guard in the near future. Not that this troubled the girl much.

"Bastard." Her savior muttered, snapping her out of her thoughts as he gave the quivering lump of meat that could only barely refer to itself as a human one last kick, before turning to look her over "You okay?"

"Y-yeah…" the girl stammered, shaking herself stubbornly for the stutter "I'm fine." She repeated, a little more confidently "what happened to the rest?"

"Huh? Oh those guys?" the blonde muttered, thumbing down the hallway, the girl looking round the corner, only to gape at the pile-up of 'corpses' that lay there, one of them dangling from where his head had been rammed into the ceiling "Yeah they weren't so hot…I've had tougher fights trying to get in line for the ramen-bread back at the school cafeteria."

"I…see…" the girl muttered, a bead of sweat slipping down her forehead as an image of her rescuer and a horde of delinquents battling it out in a cage match entered her head.

"Anyways, you alright kid?" the teen queried, prompting a complete about-face in her attitude towards him as she got right in his face, or as close as she could, to glare at him.

"For the last time I'm not a kid!" she snapped, stamping her foot petulantly, only to blink as he tussled her hair, a light flush rising to her cheeks as a result.

"Warkata-tebayo…" he offered, an apologetic grin on his face that made her flush slightly for reasons she couldn't explain "I won't call you a kid again…but in exchange, care telling me who you are?"

The girl's flush deepened, turning her head to the side as she tried to compose herself "H-Hanabi…" she mumbled, hands behind her back "Hyuuga Hanabi."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Eh? Hyuuga?" Naruto repeated, his blue eyes widening in surprise as he looked her over carefully for the first time "Wait…you wouldn't know Hinata-chan by any chance would you?"

"Onee-sama!" Hanabi exclaimed, looking up at the blonde with a new light in her eyes as she gripped his coat "You know Onee-sama! Where is she!"

"Easy! Easy!" the hurricane king uttered soothingly, patting her on the head again, much to her embarrassment "So you're Hinata-chan's Imouto huh…shoulda figured, you got the same eyes." He knelt down before her, so they were relatively eye-to-eye "So, Hanabi-chan, what're you doing here?"

"Um…" Hanabi stammered, looking away from his eyes out of embarrassment "No one could figure out where Onee-sama was…So I…I thought I could-!" She trailed off as he smiled understandingly, causing her to flush again.

"Warkata-tebayo." Naruto muttered, "You're looking out for your sister right? Its what family does, I'm hardly gonna berate you for it." He snorted "Still, it's dangerous around here you know? Maybe I should come with you, we're here for the same purpose after all."

"You're looking for Nee-sama too?" Hanabi wondered, a slight bout of jealousy coming over her before she forced it down "Why? Do you know her?"

"She saved my life." Naruto replied somberly, his face settling into a determined frown as he looked at his fist "She saved me…but because of it she was kidnapped by some freak that's using this place as a hideout."

"So she IS here!" Hanabi enthused, before blinking and looking up at the teen in confusion "But wait…how did you figure it out? Otou-sama's had the entire city scoured and he learned nothing!"

"Let's just say a friend of mine knew a thing or two more than the bad-guys wished." Naruto replied with a wry smirk, shivering as he recalled the good-luck peck on the cheek Ano-sensei had given him before heading off "Anyways, whadd'ya say, partners?"

Hanabi looked from the blonde to his offered hand, her face flushing slightly as she took it "Arigatou…ano..?"

"Oh, right." Naruto muttered, sticking his tongue out and rubbing the back of his neck in embarassment "I always suck at introductions." Smirking, he released her hand and thumbed at himself, one hand in his coat pocket "Uzumaki Naruto, ball-buster extraordinaire of East Konoha, at your service!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It seems Sasuke-kun isn't one to listen to advice any more than he has to." Orochimaru chuckled, "Ah well no matter, He knows he needs my help, and I need HIM to achieve my goals."

"What about Hyuuga?" A loud voice grumbled between bites of food, the owner a large, balding teen that was stuffing his face with hamburgers from a fast-food joint.

"My God could you be more of a pig?" a teen with his hair done up in a ponytail muttered as he beat the brothers-Kon simultaneously at go and shogi, "Finish your food before talking."

"How long are we gonna be stewing down here sensei?" a crass, female voice demanded, looking annoyed "Porker's bad enough, but sticking me in the same room with the otaku and the gruesome twosome's driving me up the fucking wall!"

"Well aren't you a rain of sunshine as always." Orochimaru chuckled, eyeing the volatile redhead in a boys uniform "Just like your sempai…but don't worry Tayuya-chan…you five will get your chance to 'play'…after all, my knights shouldn't be squandered should they?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so the adventure continues.

Naruto seems to have that Uzumaki charm whatever incarnation he's in huh? And it would Appear Hyuuga females are HIGHLY susceptible to it.

How will Hanabi-chan tagging along affect the mission?

Will Sasuke ge directly invovled in the battles?

And Just how is Shikamaru going to get Chouji ANd Ino out of the collapsing basement without being seen?

Keep sending in reviews to find out!

Notes:

Hanase: Let me go.

KANG-FU GENERASHON: Basically 'Kung-Fu Generation' being called out by Lee, simillar to Shikamaru calling out 'CLOUDO-NINE', it won't be happening often but it's there for the feel of things.

Mendokuse: What a pain, what a drag, troublesome...,what a bother..., who doesn't know Shika-chans trademark by now?

Warkata: I understand, i got it.

Tebayo: Short for dattebayo, no real meaning.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-sama: Big sister, respectful version.

Teme: Bastard, asshole, jerk, basically an insult.

Yankee: This is the japanese version, referring to an individual that supposedly dyes/bleaches their hair and acts like a rebel, for an example check out Fruits Basket, one of Tohru's friends is called this a lot by Kyo.

Kyugan's help corner:

Some people have asked what the uniforms of North Konoha Gakuen look like:

The girls' uniform looks like Athena's School uniform from KOF, only with a blouse and longer skirt, and an optional pullover that Hinata wore at all times due to her shyness.

The boy's uniform of North Konoha Gakuen looks like a blue Version of Kyosuke's uniform from Rival Schools, though Neji and most others wear it buttoned up. Sasuke's looks exactly like Kyosuke's, but he only opens the jacket when he fights.

Orochimaru wears a Khaki version of Oswald's suit from KOF XI, just for those that're interested.

R&R PLZ!!

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

And so the plot continues, expecta meeting between both sides in this one, albeit not a fight.

Also, a long time favorite finally makes his appearance.

_HEAVEN OR HELL?_

_LET'S RAWK!_

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: Unsteady alliance.

"This is bad…" Shino muttered, kneeling down behind a bicycle shed as he tried to rouse the recumbant form of Chouji "He's really out of it." he shot the unconscious form of Ino a wary look, "And was it wise to bring her too?"

"Couldn't…leave her there." Shikamaru gasped, winded from the strain of carrying the two unconcious stand users through the shadows with him, apparently he needed more practice lifting things heavier than a book "Place could've collapsed…any second."

"True…" Shino reasoned, nodding his head at the lazy teen's logic, though he frowned noticably behind his sunglasses, nodding his head towards Ino "But is she not an enemy? Why should it matter? Logic dictates…"

"Screw…logic…" Shikamaru muttered, a very Naruto-like scowl stretching his features "I may be lazy…but I'm not the kinda scum that just leaves someone to die…especially not women."

Shino said nothing, but the Nara scion felt as if he'd passed some sort of evaluation with the Aburame. "In any case," the taciturn teen mumbled, nodding towards their slumbering comrade, "What shall we do about Chouji?"

"Got it covered." Shikamaru muttered, raising a hand as Cloud-9 rose from the shadows, a packet of barbeque potato chips in hand, which the Nara popped open near Chouji's nose. The teen snorted, sitting up with a stiff yawn as he accepted the packet without even looking, munching down with grateful aplomb. "I've known Chouji for years." Shikamaru admitted with a smirk, even as his friend began rummaging through the packet for survivors "I know how to get him up and about if necessary."

"So it would seem." Shino deadpanned, honestly a little unnerved by the spectacle as the large teen popped the bag and turned to face them inquisitively. After all, they say that hunger was the driving force of life.

"How long was I out?" Chouji mumbled, a little refreshed after the snack, his memory slowly coming back to him as he looked around his surroundings warily "And where'd that Ino chick go?"

"Over there." Shikamaru replied, nodding at the unconscious blonde lazily, as if the effort to do even that was too much of a bother "She should be fine here for now, I say we try to hook up with the others."

"I second that motion." Shino agreed solemnly "If only because this is unfamiliar territory, thus giving the enemy the home field advantage, meaning they could be watching us from anywhere."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That was refreshing!" Lee chuckled, his bandages sliding back up his sleeves as they finally touched down on solid ground, his face flushed healthily from the exhilirating rush "Like a jungle gym!"

"Yeah-yeah, you Tarzan, me pissed off." Kiba growled, dropping from the confused track-star's back to the floor with a grunt "Call me crazy but I'd still have taken the stairs, even if there was a herd of rabid stand users waiting for us on each floor."

"Now that would be an interesting fight." Lee admitted, actually taking Kiba's words seriously, his eyebrows furrowed in concern as he held his chin in thought, one hand supporting his elbow "How would we fare in such a situation I wonder?"

'Is this guy for real?' Kiba wondered, gaping at the track star as he actually visualized how the fight would go, before scoffing and shaking his head in dismissal 'Screw it, first we gotta hook up with the others, then we gotta get back on track.' he frowned suddenly as a thought occured to him "By the way…" he muttered, turning to the older teen as he spoke "I thought Naruto was with you, don't tell me ran off on his own?"

"Naruto?" Lee repeated, only for his eyes to widen in concern, a most alarming sight for anyone involved, as his eyebrows practcally vanished into his hairline "Oh no! I left him in the infirmary! Sakura-san could have sent someone to finish him!"

"That idiot!" Kiba snapped, dashing off after the track star "What the hell was he thinking getting injured on enemy turf?!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So you have any idea where we should be going?" Naruto asked, looking at the map of the campus with a sweatdrop "'cause to be honest…I'm lost here." He grimaced at the damnable thing in annoyance "Just how many classrooms do these people need?!"

"North Konoha takes in any and all students with the right credentials, and has ties to the medical university and hospital." Hanabi provided helpfully, as if giving a lecture "As such, many people from outside Konoha enroll here so as to get a better chance of advancing to the university." She nodded knowingly "On top of that, a lot of big-time investors are interested in the place, and so their children are sent here to develop ties."

"You don't say…" Naruto mumbled, sweat virtually dripping down his head, as he looked over the list of clubrooms "Tea club, Chess club, Games club, Art and Drama society…" the number of sweat drops grew "Equestrian club, Sports clubs, Photography club…Good grief the only thing they're missing is a damn host club!"

"A half-gaijin transfer attempted to start one up some time ago." A calm voice noted, causing the two to snap round to find a youth in a white boys uniform, the coat partially unbuttoned, walking towards them with his hands in his pockets "Let's just say he didn't get his way…though I think he managed to set one up in another school." He chuckled humorlessly "God help them."

Naruto eyed the dark haired youth warily, having not heard him arrive, nor seen him in the corridor for that matter. Stepping in front of Hanabi, who seemed torn between annoyance and gratitude at the motion, he removed a hand from his coat pockets. If the teen turned out to be a threat, he wanted to buy the girl some time to run before tearing into him.

"Are you lost?" the youth asked, hands in his pockets as he advanced, "Understandable I suppose, I've been here since first year and I still wind up in the wrong wing from time to time." He pulled up next to the map, looking them over inquisitively "But you don't look like students here…"

"We're transfers." Naruto supplied, deciding to stick with the cover story for now "Well, I am at least," he admitted, nodding over his shoulder "Hanabi-chan here's visiting a family member, so I was asked to bring her with me."

"Really now?" the youth noted, a smile on his face as he looked the blushing Hyuuga girl over, earning a stubborn scowl in return "Maybe I can help you find them, I've been here a while so I know almost everyone in my year."

"Hyuuga Neji." Naruto replied, not wanting to use Hinata's name in case this guy turned out to be an enemy stand user. Hanabi, eyes widening at the mention of her cousin's name, looked between the two teens in confusion

"Neji-sempai?" the teen repeated, actually sounding surprised at the name, his eyebrows almost touching his bangs from shock "Now that's interesting," he noted, tone amazed "I didn't think he had many friends."

"Why am I not surprised…" Naruto and Hanabi muttered in unison, identical deadpan expressions on their faces, blinking at each other after a second, Hanabi looking away with a flush and Naruto chuckling good naturedly.

"Well He's usually in the dorms by now." The white-clad youth noted, touching his chin in thought as he spoke "As the top scorer he's granted a lot of leeway, though he doesn't really have that many classes left this late in the year."

"Huh? Why's that?" Naruto wondered, a little peeved that the stuck up prick seemed to be getting special treatment. Bad enough he was rich, but if he thought that made him exempt from enduring lectures like everyday students then Naruto had ANOTHER reason to smack him upside the head with a crowbar.

"Neji-Niisan has already been scouted by Konoha University." Hanabi supplied diligently, prompting both teens to look at her in surprise "They've already assured him of a placement there when he graduates."

"True," the white-clad youth allotted, a knowing smile on his face that Hanabi didn't like, no matter how reassuring it was "Then there's the fact that seniors tend to have more time between classes, as most courses they cover are specific to their future goals." He shrugged "I suppose being scouted by the university makes it clear Neji-sempai has his course plotted out already."

"So do you know where he is or not?" Naruto grumbled, a little annoyed at how highly spoken the arrogant bastard was. It was bad enough he acted superior to everyone (at least so far as Naruto knew) but it seemed he was a prodigy in more ways than one if a university even Naruto knew was top of it's class wanted him early.

"He would most likely be in his dorms at this time." The teen noted helpfully, pointing with his hand towards a building just visible through a nearby window, some distance away from the main campus "If you like, I can show you the way."

"We're fine thanks." Naruto muttered, stepping around the teen as he spoke, only to freeze as his stomach let out a particularly loud growl, accompanied by a less noticeable one from Hanabi, causing both to flush to some degree.

"…Perhaps I can show you to the cafeteria then." The teen noted, a bead of sweat running down the side of his head as he spoke, clearly stumped at the antics of the two newcomers, who had the decency to look embarassed.

"Yeah…maybe I'll take you up on that…" Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Hanabi said nothing, but nodded her head in appreciation, hiding her face by looking the other way.

"Very well, please follow me." The youth asked, a smile on his face as he held out a hand in greeting "My name's Uchiha Sasuke, yoroshku."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Naruto-kun!" Lee called out, slamming the infirmary door open so hard it nearly cracked the small window, only to pale slightly as he realized the bed he'd left his youthfull friend and kohai in was empty. "He's gone!"

"Oh gimme a break!" Kiba moaned, palming his face in irritation as he finally caught up to the track star, his breath ragged from trying to match his insane pace "Someone's gotta get that guy a freaking collar!"

"You're one to talk Kiba." A voice mumbled, prompting them to turn to find Shikamaru stepping out of a shadow, looking more haggard than when his mom badgered him "I take it that pain in the ass is causing trouble on his own again…right?"

"Not…necessarily." Lee muttered, though he knew that 'Naruto' and 'Trouble' went hand in hand, the two were almost synonyms for one another "He may simply have gone looking for me."

"Possible, but unlikely." Shikamaru muttered, resting against the wall exhaustedly "In any case, we need to meet up so we can plan our next course of action," he tilted his head towards the window "meet at the bike-shed on the west side of campus."

"Mataku…one thing after another…" Kiba muttered, opening a window as Shikamaru took the shadow back to the meeting point "If I'd known it'd be this much of a pain I'd have brought the gang with me."

"They wouldn't have stood a chance against stand users." Lee pointed out, clambering through the window after the teen, shutting it with his stand-bandages. There was no need to inconvenience the medic staff with the thought of a break inafter all.

"Yeah I know…" Kiba admitted, looking sullen but unwilling to back down on the matter "But at least we'd have more man-power backing us up," he spat off to the side "s'like the whole school's our enemy."

"True…" Lee muttered, a frown marring his usually calm features "We had best hope Naruto-kun doesn't let his guard down..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cafeteria of North Konoha Gakuen was silent, save for the clatter of cutlery as a manic blonde devoured bowl after bowl of the high-class food provided by the gaping staff. Even Hanabi, who had paused in her own meal, was gaping at her rescuer in alarm as he went to town on the dishes.

"DAMN this stuff is good!" Naruto cheered between bites, slurping up an entire bowl of soup in one go, a set of chicken skewers held in his free hand "Man you uptown guys sure now how to pig out!"

'Where's he putting it all?' Sasuke muttered blearily, a bead of sweat running down his head as he watched the number of plates grow with a feeling akin to wonder 'Is he a bottomless pit or something?'

"So you've been here a while you say?" Naruto asked, chewing absently on the skewers as he spoke, snapping the Uchiha out of his daze with the brief pause in the feasting "What's it like here?"

"Pretty dull to tell you the truth." Sasuke admitted, grimacing slightly at the blonde's table manners "Most people here come from well off families that follow the same handbook for raising their kids, it gets predictable after a while."

"I'll bet…" Naruto muttered, eyeballing a group of stuck-up seniors that scuttled off in terror from his 'evil-eye', which could make most Yakuza remember prior engagements on the other side of the country "Damn pampered brats…" he winced and eyed his guide and Hanabi "No offence."

"None taken," the raven haired teen assured him with a smirk, impressed with his ability to ward off the snobs whilst Hanabi shook er head "my family isn't nobility, merely successful, so I hardly fit into the category." He smirked confidently "On top of that, I'm here on a scholarship, not like those guys that cruise along on their parent's money."

"Cool." Naruto muttered, glad to find someone that fit into the regular human being category at this posh zoo, finishing off his skewers with a sigh "Man that was good…thought I was gonna pass out for a second there!"

"I hope you saved room for dessert…" Sasuke insisted with a chuckle, though internally he highly doubted there could be any room left in the blondeto even breath "They have an amazing cheesecake today."

"What is this place a 5-star restaurant?" Hanabi muttered, though her eyes had lit up at the mention of dessert. It was a little known fact that the youngest hyuuga sibling had an infamous sweet tooth, something her sister took delight in accomodating.

"The cafeteria staff are some of the best around," Sasuke informed her with his confident smile "some of them are former culinary students from here as well, though most get snapped up rather fast by big-name restaurants."

"Man this place has everything…" Naruto muttered in grudging wonderment, titling his head back with a sigh, squinting up at the ceiling with a hint of annoyance "Ceramic tiles too, why a tree though?"

"The founder of the academy had that mural designed." Sasuke offered, looking up at it impassively, noting the mighty oak with various symbols adorning it'sbranches "It's supposed to signify the entire town."

"What's that mumbo-jumbo scrawled around the bottom?" Naruto asked, eyeing the words on the tiles with a squint. He vaguely recalled it from some of those manga and games he'd borrowed off Shikamaru and Lee, but couldn't place it anywhere.

"From solid base to the smallest leaf." Hanabi offered before Sasuke could speak up again, drawing the attnetion of both teens to her as she read on "From the ashes new saplings shall grow."

"You can read that stuff Hanabi-chan?" Naruto marveled, missing her flush at the 'chan', suffix as he grinned at her, eyes shut with mirth as he ruffled her hair affectionately "You really are smart!"

"Indeed," Sasuke noted with intrigue, a calculating look on his face as he smiled at the girl in a way that usually flustered his admirers "That's Latin, not a typical language for a first year to be aware of…let alone fluent in."

"My family's tutors are very thorough." Hanabi replied with a sniff towards their dark haired guide, arms crossed before her importantly "I'm also fluent in German, French, Mandarin and English."

_"So it would seem."_ Sasuke noted in flawless English, smirking at the girl's embarrassment at her achievement being shot down "In any case," he continued, nodding as the waitresses set down the slices of cake "Once we finish, we should continue looking for Neji-sempai."

"Nah, that asshole can wait." Naruto muttered between chews, prompting a choked off laugh from Hanabi, a quirked eyebrow from the Uchiha, and a multitude of gasp from some of the few remaining rumormongers "He ain't worth the time to rush lunch."

That said, the blonde waved at the waitress, who responded to his demands for 'MORE CAKE!' with a startled nod, never noticing Sasuke's eyes locking onto the back of his head.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I don't get it…' the Uchiha muttered, trying to analyze the blonde as he watched him scarf down the cake like a cretin, much to the staff's distress 'THIS is the so-called Hurricane king? The terror of East Konoha's back-streets?' he fought the urge to curl his lip in disdain 'He's a joke, I could have roasted him the second he looked at the ceiling, but there's too many witnesses…'

He cursed, having been wagering on the cafeteria being empty save for the staff, but it seemed a few of the older students had felt peckish and decided to lounge around, making a hindrance of themselves, as always. 'Useless bottom feeders.' The Uchiha scion muttered, glaring at a gaggle of older girls that were eyeing him in what they THOGUHT was a covert manner 'Like sheep, growing fat on their parents' wealth, just waiting to be culled.'

He shot Hanabi a look as she dined on the cheesecake, a happy smile on her face 'So Hyuuga has more family does she? Normally I could care less, but it might hinder my plans if she finds her too soon.'

Returning his gaze to the blonde, who was trying his merry best to make Hanabi choke on her food due to laughter with his antics, the Uchiha scion scowled, grimacing at some unbidden feeling as he tried to place the idiots face. 'Why?' he wondered, eyes narrowing as he took in the sun-kissed skin, the whisker mark scars and bright, shining grin 'Why do I feel I've met this clown before?'

"You okay Sasuke?" said clown queried, snapping the Uchiha out of his internal monologue to find a pair of concerned blue eyes looking into his own from across the table "You're looking constipated there."

"I'm fine." Sasuke muttered, looking away with a grunt, only to blink as his mobile went off "Excuse me." He muttered, standing up to take the call, walking to a secluded corner before flipping the cover "What?"

_"They're moving."_ A female voice called out over the phone, Sasuke's eyes narrowing as he recognised the speaker, after all, he didn't hand out his number to just anyone _"Three at the bike shed, two en-route from the nurses office."_ A pause _"Saotome and Hyuuga have split up to investigate the earler disturbance."_

"I see." Sasuke muttered, gears already turning in his head as he calculated his next move, it wouldn't do tolet the serpent have all the fun after all "And what about THEM?" he asked, looking round to make sure he wasn't being watched.

_"They've already gathered, but still no news thus far."_ The woman replied, sounding oddly apologetic, though Sasuke brushed it off, as it really wasn't her fault _"Orochimaru-sensei's being cautious, as always."_

"That he is." Sasuke muttered, scowling at the councillor's annoying trait of keeping everything close to his chest. An admirable survival trait, but one that made coming up with your own plans that much harder "Very well, keep me posted, I'll be there soon."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You okay man?" Naruto asked, chugging down a bottle of water as the white-clad teen returned to the table, missing the dark look on the teen's face vanish into thin air before he resumed his seat.

"Fine, thank you." Sasuke assured him, a wane smile on his face as he sighed, looking apologetic "I'm sorry but something has come up, it looks like I won't be able to escort you to the dorms after all."

Hanabi shot the teen a suspicious scowl from behind her strawberry sundae, knowing he wasn't being completely honest with them. "S'allright." Naruto assured the teen, grinning as he patted his full stomach, "You already helped out a lot, the dorm can't be too far from here."

"It isn't," Sasuke admitted, "Just take a left once you leave the cafeteria and you should find the path that leads to it." He offered a quick nod before walking off, hand in hin pockets as he waved over his shoulder with the other "Farewell."

"Nice guy." Naruto muttered idly, watching the dark-haired teen disapear through the doors, a small gaggle of groupies following a few seconds later as he picked his teeth "A little moody but not too bad."

"I don't trust him." Hanabi muttered, earning a confused look from the teen, her pale eyes narrowed with suspicion as she continued to glare after the Uchiha's departure "His eyes give me the creeps."

"Meh, so he's got a few issues," Naruto muttered, waving a hand dismissively as he picked up another forkfull of the sinfully delicious cheese cake "He wouldn't have bought us lunch if he were a bad guy."

'Can your loyalty really be bought with food?' Hanabi wondered, eyeing the teen in bewilderment as he finsihed off the last of the, admittedly delicious, cake, before standing up and stretching audibly.

"Right! Now let's see what Neji-teme's managed to find out!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neji sneezed, cursing the sudden draft as he prowled the courtyard like some dark-haired sentinel, looking around warily only to frown 'Funny…I could have sworn someone said my name.' He scoffed 'A fox must be playing tricks on me.'

Looking up from his musings, the Hyuuga teen resumed his walk through the vast courtyard, eyes alert for anyting that shouldn't be there. Fortunately for the shrubbery, nothing was deemed unusual enough to warrant him rifling through it, something the fangirls that were hounding him were all to glad of.

'This is a waste of time.' The prodigy muttered, eyeing the aurroundings with concealed annoyance 'But still…if that Yankee IS here…then perhaps he's onto something…I never anticipated a threat within the walls of the academy…but then again what better place to gather intell?'

The only problem was that since North Konoha Gakuen catered to the offspring of various foreign dignitaries and business moguls, a proper investigation could lead to disasterous consequences, it wouldn't do for Neji to step on the wrong person's toes, even with his Uncle's considerable political clout.

'The foreign transfers can most likely be ignored.' He alloted, recalling how most of them were the type that either flaunted their homelands' supposed 'superiority' or were completely infatuated with the 'quaintness' of Japan whilst riding on their parent's names, hardly doing any work at all 'Which just leaves the rest of the damned campus for me to tear through.'

And if that weren't bad enough, several of the remaining youth's that HAD potential motifs to kidnap Hinata-sama were all from high-ranking famillies that had their fingers in everything from rival businesses to government bodies, NOT the kind of people you wanted to piss off, even if you were on even footing with them, as that simply meant you had further to fall.

"Lost in thought, Neji-kun?" A genial voice called out, the prodigy whipping round with wide eyes, not used to being snuck up on, prompting an amused chuckle from the speaker "As highly strung as ever I see."

"Headmaster Sarutobi!" the prodigy called out, eyeing the older man sitting on the bench before him in alarm, though it quickly faded to a sense of relief as he calmed "How long have you been here?"

"From the start." The older man chuckled, smiling behind his ever-present pipe. Dressed in a well-cut lecturer's jacket and pants, his thinning black hair and beard laced with scant traces of gray, though his eyes shone with energy that belied the wrinkles around his eyes "You seem anxious lately Neji-kun, care to share with an old man?"

"It is nothing, Sarutobi-sensei." The hyuuga teen assured the man, tone respectful as he shook his head in polite declination "I'm merely trying to ascertain the motives behind Hinata-sama's kidnapping."

"Ah yes…" the twinkle died in those old eyes, replaced with a sharp, intellectual look that spoke of years of experience with politcal treachery "I had heard of the recent dilemma…my condolences, Neji-kun."

"Do not worry yourself, Sarutobi sensei." The prodigy assured the headmaster, offering a slight bow to one of the few people he considered worthy of respect outside his familly "There was nothing you could have done."

"Maybe," Sarutobi muttered, puffing away at his pipe in thought "But perhaps there is something I can do for you now." He smirked at the teen's look of confusion "My information networks are quite widespread, some of them I've seen fit to introduce to your father, and his are the best in the northern block, but there is little that goes on in Konoha that I don't know about."

Neji nodded, enawed with the old man's words and influence, though he did not show it. He had been introduced to Sarutobi Hiruzen when he'd enrolled at North Konoha Gakuen as a junior, invited into the office along with his peers. The man had greeted them warmly, the smoke from his ever present pipe filling the room with the smell of good tobacco and oak.

At first he'd assuemed it was merely the usuall interview, a little prequisite for the old man to get a first opinion of them while drumming the rules of the academy into them. He'd been proven wrong, dramatically so, for the man had instead asked them as to the wellfare of their famalies, startling many with how well informed he was with the goings on of their respective houses. He'd even comforted Neji abot hs father's death, albeit in private, as the other boys had already left, which was something the teen had not mentioned to anyone, and which no-one outside the Hyuuga clan had any right to know about.

Since then, he'd always held the Headmaster in great esteem, something he'd only, as of yet, associated with Hiashi-sama, and it didn't hurt that Sarutobi actually spoke to him as an intellectual equal, even if he DID insist on adding suffixes.

"Hinata-chan's kidnapping is most disconcerting." Hiruzen muttered, puffing away at his pipe, a light forwn on his face "but from what my sources can tell, it was most definitely not done by any of the criminal elements in this city…nor are any of our foreign guests to blame."

"How certain are you of this information." Neji asked, only to mentally chide himself at the man's raised eyebrow. If the headmaster wasn't 100% certain on something he would never voice it aloud, he was not the type of man that took risks, especially where his charges were concerned.

"Certain enough." The Sarutobi patriarch assured him, blowing a trio of smoke rings as he spoke "A fact I have passed on to your uncle, which is why he is so incensed at Chief Danzo's inability to follow up on it."

Neji scowled, recalling the scarred Police Chief with LESS than fond memories. Their first encounter had been at a family function, the man having invited himself there under the pretexes of delivering a message to one of the guests, but stuck around mingling with the congregation a little longer than was deemed polite, or professional. The fact he seemed to be eyeing Hinata and Neji as one would examine a thuroughbred didn't exactly endear him to the teen either.

"For the life of me I shall never understand that warhawk." Sarutobi muttered, his pipe-smoke trailing above him as he scowled "Even in our youth he was always ambitious, always digging deeper than was healthy into the seedier depths of our beloved town…trying to 'purge the rot from the roots of society' he called it."

"I take it that was how he lost his arm?" Neji asked, shivering slighly at the memory of the man's empty sleeve.

"That and his eye." Sarutobi agreed, a look passing between them that Neji knew he should not repeat this conversation to anyone "And one of his legs too, though he claims it to be grout."

"I see…" Neji muttered, shuddering slightly as he recalled the looks he'd received from the old mummy "But Danzo's ineptness aside, I may have a lead towards finding who's behind this myself."

"Oh really?" Hiruzen queried, cocking an eyebrow in interest as he puffed away at his pipe, waving at a group of first years that ran past with kindly eyes before returning his attention to the prodigy "Anyone I know?"

"OI! NEJI-YARO!"

Neji stumbled, more from the force and sheer audacity of the yell than surprise, turning to gape at the culprit, one Uzumaki Naruto, as he raced towards them with a fist drawn back and a yell on his lips. The older teen scowled at the blonde's audacity, and normally would have sidstepped and delivered a retaliatory chop to the back of the neck, but the sight of his younger cousin, Hanabi, following in the Yankee's wake startled him long enough that he didn't see Naruto's right hook until it rammed into his cheek, sending him into the bushes next to the bench with a yelp.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Naruto!" Hanabi gaped, looking from her downed cousin, struggling to right himself from the fall, to her blonde companion in alarm, her eyes practically bulging out of her skull with shock "What in the hell'd you do that for?!"

"Bastard was asking for it." Naruto grumbled, sighing heavilly as he shook his hand testily, the joints popping from the blow "Making me run all over this freaking campus looking for him…" he snorted "plus he's got the type of face ya like to smash in."

"K-kuso Yankee…" Neji growled, the prodigy holding his jaw stiffly as he pulled himself out of the shrubbery, eyes bruning with ire as he spat to the side, a slight red tint to the spittle as it hit the ground "You'll pay for that one."

"Think ya can?" Naruto shot back, already dancing on his feet, his fists held in a ready stance as he smirked at the prodigy "Gotta warn you now…I'm ready for that little trick of yours."

Neji scowled, his hair seeming to lift slightly in some unseen preeze as he settled into a baquazang stance, palms at the ready "There was no trick before, Uzumaki…just a clear difference in skill." He snorted "You surprised me once before…but lightning doesn't strike twice."

"Nii-san! Naruto!" Hanabi called out, trying to get the two to see reason, growing increasingly frustrated as they continued to glare at one another, only to blink as a gentle hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to look up into the smiling features of the old man Neji had been talking to.

"Why don't we leave these two to their dispute?" Sarutobi chuckled, good natured mirth in his eyes as he lead the girl back to the bench "A quarell between young men is no place for women and old farts like myself."

He sighed as he sat down, patting the seat next to him for Hanabi to fill, before turning his gaze back to the two teens, chuckling at the sparks flying between them. "It does my heart good to see Neji has friends outside the campus." He noted, smiling knowingly at Hanabi, who was looking at him like he was off his rocker, "So, how is your father, Hanabi-chan?"

"H-Have we met?" Hanabi stammered, a little caught off guard with the old man's familliarity, only to blink as her cousin and Naruto clashed not ten feet away.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Strong as always…" Neji noted, not so much blocking Naruto's opening kick as rolling with it, letting the blonde's own momentum add to his own 'But there's definitely something different this time…' he acknowledged, even as he leant back to avoid a knee to the chin, followed by a punch that actually clipped his ear 'he's more fluid, and his guard is tighter.'

'He's as tough as I remember…' Naruto muttered, drawing back his fist in time to avoid a chop to the neck that could have choked him, even as a savage palm clipped his side 'Tougher even…bastard kept himself in shape.'

The two danced around each other, neiter landing a blow that proved lasting, testing the waters with guarded eyes and quick, easily adaptable moves. To anyone else, it looked like the two were simply sparring, but to Hanabi and Hiruzen, it was clear that they simply couldn't find an opening to land a finisher on the other.

"Not calling out your stand, teme?" Naruto taunted, jabbing a fist into Neji's elbow as the elder teen missed another strike, Neji promtply clipping him on the knee with a retaliatory kick to the shin.

"I don't need my Stand to deal with a trash-talking yankee." Neji replied coldly, following up the kick with an palm strike to the chest, though he had to admit that Uzumaki was certainly a lot better than the first time they'd crossed fists.

"Fine with me!" Naruto shot back, catching Neji's arm and leaning inwards to deliver an elbow to the chest, forcing the older teen to back off slightly "Truth be told, I prefer not to waste my Stand on assholes!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"My they're certainly getting into it…" Hiruzen chuckled, watching as the two youth's continued to pummel one another, several students looking on in awe at the sight, some taking bets. A handful of prefects had stepped forward, looking to bring the conflict to a halt, but a quick look from the headmaster held them off, and they turned their attentions towards restraining the Hyuuga's fanclub, who were trying to sabotage the match by hurling things at Naruto's back, and not just insults either "Still…I think that's gone on long enough…"

That said, the headmaster stood, his pipe held in one hand as he advanced on the dueling teens, a genial smile on his weathered features. Neither of them noticed his approach, for to divert attention away from the fight would provide an opening neither was willing to give. Therefore, it came as quite a surprise when Naruto's Kick and Neji's palm strike were intercepted before they could even connect.

"Now then…" Hiruzen chuckled, a genial, grandfatherly smile on his relatively young face as he warded off both teens with apparently no effort, one hand gripping Naruto's ankle, and the stem of his pipe waylaying Neji's palm "are you prepared to sit down and play nice?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, Sarutobi is badass. You will make note of this.

That said, He isn't a stand user, but what he is exactly I'll leave to your imaginations for next time.

And Yes, Hashirama founded the Konoha University, the symbols on the branches represent the major famalies that helped found the city.

Translations:

Teme/Yaro: Bastard, though it can also be used as a 'Hey You' call.

Nii-san: Big brother.

Sempai/Senpai: Senior figure, usually upper classman or superior in workplace.

Kohai: Opposite of Sempai, underclassmen or your subordinate in the workplace.

R&R or Sarutobi will open up some whup ass on you young'ins!

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

And so Everyone's favorite Hokage makes an appearance in this ark.

For those of you who asked, Yes, Sarutobi is a master of Hamon, and as such, his appearance, despite being the age he'd have been in Shippuden, is like that of when he was training the Sannin.

Now before we get underway, I think a little exposition is needed for those new to the JoJo-verse.

Hamon is not Ki, it does not grant you the ability to hurl Ki-Blasts and Fly. What it does is basically awaken all the cells in your body, allowing you to chanell the exact same energy that the sun gives off through your cells.

Basically, Sucker Punching a Vampire with Hamon is like hitting them with that Holy Hand Grenade from the Van Hellsing movie, only they MELT instead of turn to Dust.

Admittedly, Humans won't die from getting a sunburn (unless they're stupid enough to go without sunblock and fall asleep south of the equator), but the human body, being mostly made of water, is and excellent conduit for Hamon. Another interesting thing about Hamon is that, since it can power up the body in a number of ways, you can charge it with your body's own bio-electricity to deliver a sledgehammer blow that fries like a tazer to the balls.

Also, practitioners of Hamon tend to have longer lifespans, as continued training can prolong their youth and vitality. A good example would be Joseph Joestar of Seies 2 and 3. In series 3, despite being a Grandfather, Joseph looked like a man twenty or thirty years younger, enough so that he even Mariah (Bast Stand user) admitted she found him attractive. He even managing to get some tail from a woman that would give birth to his illegitamate son, Josuke Higashikata, the protagonist of Series 4.

So in closing, Hamon is not Ki, it is however like the antithesis of Vampires, as it allows people to channel the power of the sun through their bodies, almost like trees (SPOILER NO!).

That said, Lets geddit on!

_HEAVEN OR HELL?_

_LET'S RAWK!_

* * *

The Hamon master.

'Wha-what the hell?!' Naruto gaped, eyeing his foot, which was being held off by the old man's thumb, index, and middle fingers, like it had been turned to stone 'What kinda strength does this old guy have?!'

'As expected of Sarutobi Hiruzen-sensei…' Neji noted calmly, withdrawing his palm and wincing from how the stem of Hiruzen's pipe had jabbed into it like a pin 'Channeling Hamon through his body to disrupt our motion.'

Naruto, with a yelp, leapt back a foot and eyed the old man warily, even as Sarutobi chuckled, returning his pipe to his lips. "How'd you do that old man?!" he demanded, eyeing the rather bemused figure suspiciously "Pretty spry for an old timer."

"You're not to bad yourself." Hiruzen complimented genially, "For someone who only started training in Hamon, you've come a long way." He smiled at the dumbstruck expression on the blonde's face "That said, you have a long way to go."

'How does this geezer know about Hamon?' Naruto wondered, narrowing his eyes as he fought down the calming vibe he was getting from the old man. It was like his body was telling him to trust the smiling pipe smoking figure, but his instincts as a brawler had his hackles rising in contrast, like a fox that has been cornered by a big, friendly dog.

"Come now…there is now need to feel so threatened." Hiruzen offered, smiling genially at the youth, one hand holding his pipe to his lips, the other held out in greeting "My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Headmaster here."

"Headmaster?" Naruto repeated, looking the old man once over warily, a suspicious frown marring his features as a dark thought occured to him "That means you know everything that goes on in here…right?"

"Well…yes, I suppose so." Hiruzen admitted, stroking his beard, only to blink and tilt his head out of the path of a kick that ruffled his hair with the force of the breeze. 'Hm...faster than I thought...'

"Then that means you've gotta know about that Orochimaru bastard!" the blonde deduced with a smirk, resettling into a fighting stance "which means if I take you out, that snake in the grass'll be drawn out from whatever rock he's hiding under!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Orochimaru-sensei?' Neji repeated, frowning in thought as he watched the insufferable Yankee face off against the dean, resisting the urge to punish the hooligan for his insolence 'What on earth could he want with the guidance councilor?'

Admittedly, Neji knew about as much as the enigmatic professor as anyone else, which was nothing. The reason being that Orochimaru, while a competent listener, with a VERY high success rate of helping problem students, was not socially active in the schools affairs. If the man ever left his office at all Neji would braid his hair and don the girls uniform…not that he'd admit that aloud.

Just before the Hyuuga decided to intervene, he caught the look in the dean's eye and held himself in check. The old man's eyes were calculative, as if someone had just dropped something rather interesting into his lap.

'Impossible…' Neji breathed, looking between Hiruzen and Naruto in alarm 'Don't tell me…that Yankee actually found a LEAD?!'

Before the genius could contemplate this train of thought further, Naruto lunged forawards, flowing into a complex series of punches and kicks, only for Sarutobi to weave between them, his perpetual smile never leaving his bearded face. To an outside observer, the two could have been dancing around one another, or playing a spirited game of keep away. Only the two Hyuuga could see the intent behind those blows, Hanabi watching in awe while Neji analysed the blonde's fighting skill.

'Direct and too the point.' He noted offhandedly, 'His upper body is braced to absorb impacts too…so he's not afraid of getting hit in return…plus his footwork shows clear signs of facing mutliple opponents.' He frowned 'And he's channeling hamon through his body…where did he learn such a combination?'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'A Gouhamon user…' Hiruzen noted offhandedly, leaning back to avoid a zoom-punch whilst delivering a palm strike to the blonde's thigh to redirect a kick 'I see Gai-kun picked up a fine student, he doesn't appear to have had much training, but already he's reached the stage where he's subconsciously keeping up the rhythm.'

And an impressive rhythym it was, the boy's body virtually FLOWED with the ripple, the dust and dirt at his feet swirling unnoticed to those looking on as he unconsciously used it to strengthen his legs and increase his speed.

'That said, he lacks proper discipline.' Sarutobi noted, a frown on his face as he continued to dodge the blows 'He puts too much into his blows, and the hamon exits from his entire fist, rather than the knuckles and joints.' He nodded in understanding 'Clearly he hasn't received advanced hamon training yet…but all in all a most interesting young man.'

That said, the Sarutobi patriarch had seen more than enough, and as he dodged Naruto's next blow, he grabbed the blonde's wrist with his fingers alone and HEAVED, tossing the startled blonde over his head and brining him onto the gravel path, HARD.

As the blonde lay there, momentarily stunned, Sarutobi walked over, looking down on him impassively, his pipe between his lips and one hand in his trouser pocket. "Now then…" he asked, watching as Naruto raised himself up with his elbows "What's this about Orochimaru-sensei? And what do you know of Hinata-chan's kidnapping?"

"H-how the hell'd you do that?" Naruto asked, eyes wide as he gaped at the deceptively young looking dean "You just…you didn't even use your hand!"

"That's one of the benefits of hamon." The bearded dean chuckled amusedly, his eyes twinkling down at the teen "Once you get a proper grasp of it, it can be used in so many ways…like strengthening one's fingers, or curing arthritis." He shrugged "Now…about what you were saying earlier…"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't like this…" Shikamaru sighed, skulking behind the bike shed with Chouji and Shino, looking round warily in case anyone came too close, not willing to take the chance that they had gotten away scot free on enemy turf "Any news about the others?"

"I've found Naruto." Shino relayed, his eyes hidden, as always, behind his black sunglasses "His energy signature was detected in the main courtyard of the academy, he seems to have been fighting someone, but I can't tell who."

"Is he alright?" Chouji asked, looking at the enigmatic Aburame with concern in his eyes. They were on enemy turf now, and with a member of the faculty as an enemy, who knew what his friend could be up against."

"His energy seems to have clamed down somewhat…" Shino reported, his eyes furrowing as he went over the information in his head "However, it seems that he has bumped into a strong opponent."

"Stand user?" Shikamaru asked, only to scowl at Shino's uncertain shrug. Alien Ant Farm was a good long range stand for intel gathering, but even it had it's limits 'Dammit, where the hell are Lee-sempai and Kiba?'

"OSSU!" a familiar voice called out from above "You see Kiba-kun! I told you we would meet up with them quickly!"

Shikamaru blinked, closed his eyes and shook his head, but nothing seemed to rid him of the image of a half dressed Kiba ridding piggyback on a flushed, lightly sweating Lee, who seemed to be brimming with his usual energy. 'I'm going to need SO much therapy when this is all over.' The Nara muttered before turning to the new arrivals "Right, now that we're all together, I think we should go back up Naruto…seems he's bumped into someone strong."

"Think it's that Orochimaru bastard?" Kiba asked, his hackles rising as his canines grew pointed, a distinctly feral look entering his eyes. He had NOT enjoyed his day so far, and was looking forward to venting his displeasure on the source of all this bullshit as soon as possible.

"Possible, but unlikely." Shikamaru muttered, shaking his head "This guy doesn't sound like the type that goes for one-on-one showdowns in broad daylight, plus as a member of faculty, it wouldn't do for him to be seen beating up on kids."

"Sounds like sensei alright." A cheerful voice chirped, the group whipping round to find a brown haired teen in a North Konoha boy's uniform beaming down at them, brown hair done up in a braid, brown eyes shining cheerfully "Hey there."

"KANG-FU GENERASHON!" Lee yelled, His stand rising to the fore, bandages lashing out like whips, only for the teen to flip out of the tree, twirling with acrobatic grace to land on the roof of the bike shed, cheerfull smile still in place.

"Wow, you're a fast one!" the intruder greeted, eyes shining with approval as brown eyes looked down on the group, as if looking for a prize in a bucket "So what's your beef with the guidance counselor?"

"Medokuse…you're a Stand user aren't you." Shikamaru muttered, eyeing the lithe looking fellow warily "And don't play dumb, you dodged Lee's bandages, normal people can't see Stands, and you just complimented him on his."

"Well yeah, it looks pretty fast." The brunette supplied, shrugging in an offhanded manner as Lee recalled his bandages "That said, those bandages don't look that strong, so sneak attacks are probably your best shot."

Shikamaru didn't respond to the jab, but flicked a gaze at Shino who nodded, and set about recalling the vast majority of his Stand beetles from over the campus. With Chouji still drained from the fight with Ino, and Kiba certainly didn't look to be in any condition to fight, it was up to them to them to waylay this guy if he was an enemy.

"Hey, is that Yamanaka you got down there with you?" the brunette asked, blinking and looking down at the unconscious girl stashed behind Chouji, before frowning "Hey, just what are you guys pulling here?"

"Why don't you go ask your friend Orochimaru?" Shikamaru shot back, covertly sending his Stand into the shadows as he spoke, a scowl on his face as he matched the youth's glare with one of his own "He's the one that sent her to attack us."

"Yamanaka's a Stand user?" the brunette quipped, a look of confused interest forming on the addmitedly cute face, "News to me, you think you know a girl…" another shrug "and what's this beef you got with Orochimaru-sensei anyways?"

Shikamaru frowned, looking the brunette over carefully before speaking "We suspect he's involved with the kidnapping of a friend of ours." He admitted, watching the braid sporting teen's face for clues.

"Hinata-chan?" the brunette asked, eyes widening in surprise at the tensing in Lee and Chouji's stances "Waitaminute…you guys aren't here with some Yankee kid with a black coat right? Curses a blue streak and has a mean right hook?"

"Naruto." Shikamaru admitted, signaling for Shino to stand down, recalling his Cloud-9 as he did so "Mendokuse…" he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief "it's so damn troublesome, but I don't think you're with Orochimaru…"

"What gave me away? My charming disposition?" the brunette asked tauntingly, smirking down at the lazy teen in a teasing manner, only to blink as he started to chuckle, shaking his head once more "What?"

"First off, you described Naruto almost perfectly, that means you know someone who's fought him…" he sighed "and the only North Konoha guy that idiot has fought is Hinata's cousin Neji." He held up a second finger "Secondly…you're concern for Hinata showed you're not the secret keeping type, even Blondie here managed to rope us along before she tried to jump Chouji."

"You're a sharp one." The brunette applauded, smirking down at him playfully, a look of interest in those brown eyes "Wonder how'd you'd be in a Stand battle, that was your Stand skulking up behind me right?"

"Maybe…" Shikamaru replied with a smirk, shoving his hands in his pockets as Cloud-9 seeped back into his shadow "Now then miss," he smirked at the brunette's look of surprise "Care to introduce yourself?"

"You really are a sharp one…" the brunette marveled, smirking down at the lazy teen as the others, except Shino, blinked in confusion as she pulled off a cheeky salute "Saotome Tenten…nice to meet'cha!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I see…" Hiruzen muttered, a frown marring his normally cheerful features as he puffed away at his pipe, mulling over the information he'd received uncomortably "So that's how it is…"

Naruto sat there, watching the weird geezer smoke his pipe, trying to get a read on him. He didn't look particularly strong, hell Naruto was actually a few inches taller than him, and was definitely better built, but the old man had completely dominated their fight, taking the Hurricane King down with a simple throw that, by all rights, shouldn't have even have registered.

'Plus he knows about Hamon.' Naruto muttered, looking the old guy over, noting, subtle as it was, that the man's breathing seemed to follow a distinct rhythm, even as he puffed away at that pipe of his 'Could he be a master like Gai-sensei?'

Across from the blonde, leaning against a piece of hedge, Hyuuga Neji glared spitfire at the troublesome interloper that had, once again, deemed it necessary to involve himself in Hyuuga affairs. What really got on his nerves was the fact that, despite having the Hyuuga clan's vast information network, despite years of training under Hiashi-sama to be able to look beneath the underneath, hell despite being a STUDENT at the damn academy, he'd never suspected the guidance councilor for the snake he truly was. And yet Naruto had stumbled onto the snake's identity, literally, through a series of events that mostly involved chance meetings and heated fistfights, like something out of a shounen manga.

Sitting on the bench beside her cousin, Hyuuga Hanabi looked between the brooding ten and Naruto, wondering just what kind of beef the two had with each other. She had NEVER seen anyone challenge Neji so openly, at the family dojo he only sparred with her father, and yet Naruto had blazed in there like some loose siege weapon and decked the prodigy right in the cheek, only the older teen's Hamon ability allowing the blow to heal to the light scuff marks still on display.

"I must admit this puts me at a loss…" Hiruzen muttered glumly, "Orochimaru was one of my prized pupils when he was here, I knew him better than his own parents." He sighed, looking older for a few seconds "I never would have expected him to do something like this…"

"In my experience teachers are usually the FIRST to instigate trouble." Naruto muttered, hands in his pockets as he shrugged "They let power go to their head and think they can run their class's like feudal lords or something…it just takes a little 'reminding' to put 'em back in their place tho'"

"So I'd assume." Sarutobi chuckled, eyeing the uncouth blonde with a smile, his eyes twinkling in amused approval "And I'm glad to see Gai-kun found such an interesting student to pass on his technique to."

"You know Gejimayu-sensei?" Naruto balked, eyes widening in shock as he gaped at the chuckling Sarutobi, the two Hyuuga's looking between the two in confusion, wondering who on earth this 'Bushy Brows Sensei' could be.

"I taught him the basics of Hamon when he was no older than you." Hiruzen replied with a smile, releasing a stream of smoke from his nostrils, far more than a normal human should have been able to with one breath "Though he took those lessons and created his own, unique style."

"Gou Hamon." Neji muttered from the side, nodding his head in understanding as one of his many questions was finally made a little clearer "Now I see, that's why your movements are so direct."

"Neji-kun isn't trying to offend you." Hiruszen assured Naruto, who had glared at the prodigy for the precieved insult "Gouhamon focusses mainly on body blows to transfer the Hamon energy into the opponent." He nodded towards Neji "Whereas the style practiced by Neji's familly, Jyuuhamon, combines fluid movement and precise Hamon control to deliver pinpoint attacks."

"So basically he does less damage, but he hits specific areas right?" Naruto opined, earning a glare from Neji, while Sarutobi suppressed a chuckle, as it had been a pretty good summarization for a rookie to make.

"Not exactly." The dean muttered, "In some ways Jyuuhamon surpasses Gouhamon, specifically in the amount of control practitioners can exhibit over their power." He nodded at the blonde "However, in regards to sheer destructive force…well, not many people get up after a Hamon enriched blow to the face."

Naruto snickered despite himself, looking over the old man he'd been facing off against not ten minutes ago with a grin 'Something about this old man makes me want to trust him.' He realised, looking upon the dark haired man with a sense of wonderment 'I dunno why, but my instincts aren't acting up around him…just like Iruka-sensei.'

"Tenten just called in" Neji reported, snapping shut a mobile phone and tucking it back into his Gakuran's pocket, nodding to the dean as he spoke "She's encountered the rest of Uzumaki's friends and is bringing them in."

"Good," the dean acknowledged, puffing away at his pipe with a contemplative expression on his face as he spoke "That will certainly save time, no point in repeating ourselves more than once."

'Shikamaru's gonna love this guy.' Naruto noted with a smirk, recalling how his lazy friend hated having to sit through repeat sessions.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sasuke, standing on an upper floor, looking down on the courtyard below with a frown on his face. The Uchiha scion's stand was out, the eyes narrowed as it watched the coversation below, easily reading the lips of those involved. Pulling out his cellphone, the dark haired teen hit the speed-dial button, never taking his eyes off the group, even as Orochimaru picked up on the first ring.

"There's been a…complication." He reported, narrowing his eyes at Naruto's smirking face as he spoke with the equally amused dean "Uzumaki and Hyuuga are conversing with Sarutobi-sensei."

"Really?" Orochimaru asked, his tone, while as smooth as ever, was noticably less amused, as this was most certainly not in any of his scenarios "That does put a bit of a kink in things doesn't it?"

"Should I engage them?" Sasuke asked, looking down at the group with a scowl, literaly chomping at the bit to test himself against not only the famed hurricane king, but the prodigal Hyuuga scion "From this range they won't know what hit them."

"Do NOT engage." Orochimaru ordered, Sasuke quirking an eyebrow at the serpent's unusual sharpness "Sarutobi-sensei is NOT to be underestimated, you would do well to remember that." He paused for a moment, leaving the Uchiha to bristle at the man's condescending tone "We need to separate them first…most likely Uzumaki-kun's friends are on their way as we speak."

"They've arrived." Sasuke reported, eyes narrowing as the rest of the East Konoha rabble arrived on the scene, quirking an eye at the sight of Ino slung over the fat one's shoulder, clearly unconcsious "And they have Yamanaka."

"Refuse…" Orochimaru hissed, his tone laced with disdain at the blonde girl's ineffectiveness, as things were clearly not going the way he wished "She'd have been better off killing herself than getting caught."

"Which is why you should have sent ME in first." Sasuke reminded the counsillor, his tone not quite mocking, but decidedly pointed nontheless "I wouldn't have allowed myself to get caught."

"So eagre to shed blood Sasuke-kun?" orochimaru chuckled, his tone sending shivers of revulsion down the Uchiha's spine "Don't worry…you'll get your chance soon enough." he assured the teen, before hanging up with a click.

Sasuke stood there, staring at his phone in silence for a few seconds, before sending an impassive stare down at the assembled group and walking off, leaving behind a melted lump of plastic and silicone on the windowsill.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mendokuse…" Shikamaru muttered, squatting on the bench as they sat around the small courtyard, information having just changed hands on both sides "This is so deep I'm surprised we aren't roasting."

"So this Orochimaru-sensei has been recruitng followers from his patients?" Shino deduced, standing next to the Nara, his Alien Ant Farm dispersed around the clearing, keeping an eye out for eavesdroppers.

"It would appear that way." Tenten noted, looking down at the comatose form of Ino with a concerned frown "Yamanaka was one of his regulars for some time, she was having trouble adapting to life here, seeing as she was orignallyfrom East Konoha."

"A downtown girl playing uptown huh?" Kiba chuckled, a feral grin on his face as he leant againt one of the hedges, his stamina returning rapidly "Yeah I can see how she'd have trouble fitting in."

'Explains how she knew my folk's shop too.' Chouji muttered, looking down at his former opponent in concern. She might have been trying to kill him but she was still a girl, and could have been brainwashed like Kiba had been by whoever the hell this 'Sasuke' person was. "By the way,: He called out, nodding at Shikamaru for emphasis "I think we might have a name to go with this guy that brainwashed Kiba and Anko-sensei."

"Mendokuse…" the Nara muttered, shaking his head at how complicated this was all getting "Blondie here kept going on about a Sasuke-sama the whole time she was trying to bash our brains in." he nodded towards the unconcious girl for emphasis "Seemed like a fanatical loyalty, rather than hypnosis."

"Sasuke?" Naruto repeated, blinking at the name and drawing everyone's attention to the blonde as he looked about in confusion "Hanabi-chan and I bumped into a guy called Sasuke a while ago."

"Might not be him though." Tenten pointed out, "Sasuke may not be an uncommon name, but a lot of the kids who come her are from old, traditional famalies…I think there are at least five or six in my year alone."

"But there's only ONE Sasuke that would have girls referring to him as 'sama'." Neji reminded his roommate, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, Tenten's eyes widening in realization "Uchiha Sasuke."

"That guy from the cafeteria?" Hanabi wondered aloud, drawing everyone's stares to her, much to her embarassment "Uh…Remember the guy Naruto-san said we bumped into? Well He said his name was Uchiha Sasuke."

"About my height?" Tenten asked, holding her hand to her head for emphasis and continuing at the girl's eagre nod "Pale complexion?" she asked, recieving another nod, this one energetic "dark eyes?"

"Hair like a duck's ass?" Hanabi asked, earning a disapproving look from Neji, a snort from Shikamaru and a guffaw from Kiba at her words. "What? Don't tell me no-one else noticed the simillarity!" she shot back defensively.

"That's him alright." Tenten chuckled, shaking her head at the girl's daring. Neji and Hinata were always so prim and proper, though Hinata was simply too shy for her own good, it was good to see at least one Hyuuga that acted normal.

"Trust Naruto to find our enemy and not realise it's him." Shikamaru groaned, shaking his head in disbelief at the blonde's antics, wishing he had some asprin with him as he glared at the sheepish Uzumaki "Just what in the hell were you doing?"

"Hey! He didn't exactly strike me as suspicious at the time!" Naruto shot back, bristling at the look on the Nara's face "We were looking for Neji-teme," he ignored the glare from said Hyuuga "And he showed us around the campus before taking us to the cafeteria for lunch."

"Learn thy enemy." Shino intoned, drawing everyones attention to the taciturn youth "He most likely wanted to evaluate Naruto without drawing attention to himself." He turned his head towards Ino "Most likely, he didn't expect us to learn his name from one of his comrades."

"The tranny on the roof was pretty fanatical about beating us too." Kiba opined, earning a mortified choking sound from Lee and a few quirked eyebrows from the rest "Crazy fag was like that chick from the fatal attractions movie."

"So what, should we keep an eye out for bloodthirsty fangirls with stands then?" Naruto muttered, shivering at the very idea. There were few things that put the fear of God into the Hurricane King, Lack of Ramen and Paper Tests were two of the most pressing, and Fangirls were easily among the top ten.

"I doubt it." Shikamru muttered, shuddering at the very idea "If he truly had that many people at his beck and call we'd have been swamped by now…my guess is he directed them towards Orochimaru-sensei because they were 'troubled' and the good sensei recruited them as sacrificial pawns."

"He was gonna kill them?" Kiba growled, not liking the way the conversation was going, having first hand experience of what it was like to be a pawn in someone else's game, only to calm down as Shikamaru shook his head lazily.

"Hardly…" the Nara muttered, biting his thumbnail as he realigned his opinion of the councillor to get a better picture of how to proceed "more likely he considers them expendable pawns in a shogi game…which would make HIM the Black King."

"And Sasuke'd be one of his knights then?" Tenten muttered, nodding her head in understanding as she followed the lazy teen's logic "Which mean's he's got stronger people in the wings too."

"Jiji, is there any way to know how many people saw this guy?" Naruto asked, looking over at Hiruzen for confirmation, earning a furious look from Neji for his insolence, though Tenten merely looked bemused.

"Do you know how many students there are in this academy?" Hiruzen chuckled, honestly amused by the teen's informality "There are THOUSANDS Uzumaki-kun, and each of them is required to speak with the guidance councillor at least once during their stay, if only to ensure their studies don't slip."

"But the odds of over a thousand students possessing stands is too troublesome to consider." Shikamaru muttered, drawing attention back to himself, recalling with a shudder the one in four experiment Anko-sensei had told them about "Which means that he only uses the arrow on people he sees a particular quality in."

"Like what? Creepy stalker obsessions with pale skinned pretty boys?" Hanabi quipped, earning an approving look fro Tenten and a frown from Neji "What? Duck-Butt didn't look like he'd been out in the sun a day in his life!"

"More likely it's those that have gone through some form of mid-life crisis." Shino opined, earning looks of confusion from the group "The two you faced so far, this one," he nodded towards the slumbering Yamanaka "and the one that fought Kiba and Lee-sempai…I believe each had emotional issues that made them easy pickings."

"Yamanaka-san had trouble fitting in at North Konoha until a short while ago." Tenten reasoned, looking down at the blonde uncertainly "She was always trying to avoid talking about her hometown in East Konoha."

"And the tranny Sempai and I fought most likely had issues regarding what gender he was supposed to be." Kiba deduced, earning looks of confusion from the group "Some messed up freak with pink hair."

"Haruno." Neji noted, shivering with distaste at the mention of the name, drawing everyone's attention to the normally stoic teen. "Now there's someone I should have suspected from the start..."

"I remember that one!" Tenten recalled, slapping her palm with her fist "She was always going after Neji when she first came here, but he shot her down in flames." She grinned at her annoyed roomate "You heart breaker you."

"This is all well and good, but it isn't getting us anywhere." Hiruzen pointed out, though you couldn't have hidden the smirk on his face with a wall "We need to find where that baka deshi of mine has fortifided himself, and for that, I think we need to split up."

"Two men to a team should do it." Shikamaru agreed, looking over the group with approval, as if tallying which would work well together "I'd prefer it if Shino and I stuck together, as my Stand and his compliment each other well."

"My Stand is good for intel, but it leaves me vulnerable." Shino agreed standing next to the Nara to back his decision,hands in his coat pockets "Also, we can relay our findings to the rest of you quicker this way."

"Neji and I will stick together." Tenten volunteered, smiling cutely as she pulled off a salute, moving next to the taciturn Hyuuga with a grin that was the exact opposite of his closed demeanor "We're used to working together after all."

"Yosh! Kiba-kun!" Lee cheered, putting the reluctant punk in a youthfull headlock, punching the air eagerly as he let out a cheer "Together we shall create a blaze of youth to defeat our foes!"

"Sempai! Your pits stink!" Kib swore, thrashing in the overly energetic teen's grip, his nose pressed to close to the older boy's armpit for comfort "SHIT! You're all sweaty!" he roared his struggles increasing accordingly.

"Someone needs to watch Yamanaka-san…" Chouji opined, looking over the comatose girl in concern, not liking the idea ofleaving her alone "If we just leave her here they might come to finish her off."

"Hanabi-chan, you stick with Chouji." Naruto insisted, earning a confused look from the youngest Hyuuga, who'd wanted to tag along with them as well "He's a good guy, he won't let anyone hurt you."

"Then that just leaves you and me, Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen chuckled, smirking around his pipe as he siddled up next to the blonde, a look of intrigue on his face "My this all sounds so exciting."

"Better make sure you don't swallow your dentures, Saru-jiji." Naruto quipped, earning snorts from most of the group, the the obvious exception Neji, for his craven attitude towards any figure of authority.

"Oh don't you worry about me youngster." Sarutobi assured the blonde, his smile teasing as he puffed away at his pipe "I'd be more concerned with not wetting my diapers if I were you."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It is time." Orochimaru opined, snapping shut a pocket watch and smirking in the darkness, eyeing his assembled knights with a chuckle "All of you…see to it our guests are dealt with...accordingly."

"I'll take care of the failures." A large shadow muttered, his voice ladden with contempt and eagerness for the hunt as he got to his feet, tossing aside an empty meatbun bag "Starting with that whore, Yamanaka."

"You and your tastes." An amused voice noted, the speaker squating near two tables, simultaneously playing a game of shogi and chess against the brothers kon "So primitive, Check and Mate!"

"Son of a bitch!" Sakon swore, knocking the chess board over as he glared at the figure before him accusingly, a shadow forming behind him "No way in hell you can beat us in two different games at the same time!"

"Shut the fuck up you faggot…" a crass voice commanded from the corner, the owner a fiery redhead with an even fiercrer tongue, who was cleaning her nails with a switch blade "You lost, deal with it."

"She's right Sakon." Ukon spoke up, though he glared at the redhead for her language all the while, to which he recieved an erect middle finger, as the redhead didn't think much of his opinion of her "You just need to play harder next time."

"Kukukuku…" Orochimaru chuckled, one hand plressed to his cheek as he looked over his troops "Go now, my knights…show them just what type of hell they've stepped into!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This one was late coming out because my computer decided to be a complete and utter B-aitch (F-cking Vista)

With this out of the way, the stage is set for the battles between Orochimaru's Knights and Naruto's mismatched band of allies.

Who will win? Who will survive?

Will Hinata ever see her familly again?

And just what are Sasuke and Orochimaru's goals?

Tune in next time to find out!

R&R!

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

Sorry about taking so long, coming up with a decent JJBA crossover is MUCH harder than it sounds. The reason being, I'm trying to keep this from going down the DBZ route, where everyone starts flying around chucking energy blasts.

Battles between Stand users are not always regulated to Punch in Face. Sometimes whole chapters can go buy before the hero lands so much as a rabbit punch on the attacker, because their ability makes it hard to get close to them.

Example: Jolyne and Weather Report Versus Jumpin' Jack Flash.

Another Example: Polnareff and Iggy Versus Vanilla Ice(Iced).

Stand Battles are Half Mental, Half Physical in NAture, if your ability is weaker than the opponents, then you need to think of a way to use it to your advantage.

Example: Jotaro could initially only stop time for a split second when he first learned how. However, he stopped time WHILE Dio stopped time, making the Tyrant believe that his Five second limit had lengthened, when in fact, Jotaro was getting ready to Ora-Ora him into oblivion.

That said, Let's geddit'on!

_Heaven or Hell?!_

_LET'S RAWK!_

* * *

The Hunger.

"We'll leave Ino-kun in my office for now." Hiruzen noted, leading the way to the giant, oaken doors and pulling out a key from inside his coat "I'm the only one with the key to this room, it's the most secure office on the property."

"If you say so Saru-ji," Naruto muttered, inwardly marvelling at the size of the old man's office, taking in the giant, oak bookshevles along both walls, filled with old, dusty tomes and the occasional inkwork painting 'Man! The décor for this place must cost more than my rent for a year!'

"This looks reasonably secure enough." Neji agreed, noting the overall secutirty of the office with approval, before shooting his cousin a strict look "Hanabi-sama, you are to remain in this room, is that clear?"

"But I wanna look for neechan too!" Hanabi insisted, the youngest Hyuuga looking into her older cousin's eyes with a stubbornness that reminded him far to much of a certain Yankee for his comfort "I can help! I have-!"

"No idea the of the nest of vipers you've just walked into." Neji cut in, narrowing his eyes at the girl to make it clear he wasn't about to budge an inch on the subject "I'm already breaking protocol by allowing one of the Yankee's friends to guard you in my stead, I will not allow you to purposefully put yourself in danger."

"If you're gonna insult me, have the balls to say it to my face teme." Naruto growled, earning a glare from Neji for his trouble "And leave my friends out of it while you're at it, hating me's one thing, don't pin your grief on them just because they've good taste in friends."

"If we had good taste, would we be hanging out with you I wonder?" Shikamaru opined with a snort, earning a glare from Naruto and a snort from Kiba "Wari-wari…but Naruto makes a good point." He insisted, locking gazes with Neji "Out of all of us, Chouji's stand has the highest attack power, but slowest speed, him babysitting sleeping beauty and your cousin in this office would serve us a lot better than letting them run around, getting caught up with whatever's about to go down."

Neji sniffed, looking over the lazy teen appraisingly, unable to refute the logic of his words, before shooting Chouji a harsh glare that set the large teen on edge "If so much as a HAIR on Hanabi-sama's head is harmed, you will answer to ME." He warned, turning on his heel and marching out of the office.

"Don't let him get to you." Tenten assured the chubby teen, patting him on the shoulder camaradiely, a grin on her face "He's just got this 'overprotective big brother' complex that makes him come off as cold if you don't know him."

"I live with him," Hanabi countered, the pouting pre-teen looking up with at the braided girl with a deadpan expression on his face that spoke volumes of her relationship with her elder Cousin "and he ALWAYS acts like that."

"Y'see?" Tenten chirped, the braided teen ruffling the Hyuuga's hair teasingly, earning an annoyed huff from Hanabi, before skipping off after her roomate with the grace of a cat "He's really protective!"

"Is everyone that goes to this campus completely fucked up in the head?" Kiba muttered, sweatdropping as he listened to Tenten catch up to Neji, their voices fading round a far corner into one wing of the campus, only to baulk as someone smacked him upside the head.

"Such unyouthful words will not be tolerated, Kiba-kun!" Lee chastised the cursing teen, his eyes blazing with righteous fury "A potty mouth will stifle your flames of youth and cause you to become nothing but a thug!"

"That hurt, yaro!" Kiba snarled, canines lengthening instinctively from the pain, only to choke as Lee grabbed him by his jacket collar and dragged him off to their chosen sector "I CAN WALK DAMMIT!"

"Sempai always was good with animals." Shino noted in his usual monotone, earning snickers from Naruto, Hanabi and Chouji, while Shikamaru and Hiruzen settled for snorting and chortling softly to themselves.

"Yosh, let's do this!" Naruto urged with a grin, pumping his fist as he rotated his shoulders eagerly "I haven't had a chance to bust loose since I got here, time to kick ass and take names."

"Please try to limit the damage to school property while you're at it would you?" Hiruzen asked, looking over the blonde hellion with that odd twinkle in his eye "Unless of course you feel like footing the bill for the damages?"

"You sure you're not working with Orochi-teme, Saru-ji?" Narut muttered, sufficiently chastened as he sauntered off after the old man, making a mental note not to smash anything that lookd expensive as Shino and Shikamaru went their own way, the silent duo making their way to the rooftops to get a better view of the area.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"They're left the Dean's office." A shadowy figure noted, her eyes narrowing as she watched their opponents separate into several different groups "Two men to a cell, Sarutobi-Sensei is one of them, the other are Hyuuga Neji-sempai and his Roomate, Saotome Tenten."

"Good work." Sasuke's voice noted over the phone, his tone dark and authoritative as he processed the information his spy had sent him "See to it that Orochimaru is informed accordingly."

"Are you sure we should be so…forthcoming, Sasuke?" the informant muttered, watching the groups' departure like a hawk "I mean, couldn't we take them out ourselves? If we could contact Yamanaka…"

"Leave her." The Uchiha ordered, his voice decidedly cold, earning a shiver from his informant despite the distance between them "She couldn't finish the job, so Orochimaru sent one of his own to clean up after her."

"Not…HIM?" the informer queried, shivering once again as a fresh feeling of dread and revulsion washed over her, as she envisioned one member of the serpent's inner circle in particular with LESS than fond memories.

"No," Sasuke countered, the informant lettign out a sigh of relief at the good news "Orochimaru's being incredibly selective with his deployment these days…apparently a group of rats in the nest doesn't rate getting HIM involved."

"If you say so." The infromant agreed, inwarldy suppressing a small flutter in her heart at how cool the Uchiha sounded, like the leader of an organsisation conversing with his trusted agents on a secure line, rather than a teenage boy sneaking behind his teacher's back.

"There's no telling if this line is secure." Sasuke stated flatly, the teen's words shattering the informer's phantasy like cheap glass with his bluntness "Pull back for now and keep me posted later."

"Hai…I understand." The informer submitted, hanging up the phone and slipping it back into it's holder on her belt, pushing her glasses up on her nose as she moved to a more secure location to inform Orohimaru.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So your name's Hyuuga Hanabi-chan, right?" Chouji noted, looking over the immense bookcase in wonderment whilst keeping an eye on the little girl and Ino, the blonde resting on the dean's couch with a blanket pulled over her, Hanabi sitting on the man's desk, kicking her feet against the sides.

"Just call me Hanabi." The youngest Hyuuga insisted, not looking up from her feet as she tapped her heels against the dean's hardwood desk, deliberately marring the polish "Only my sister can call me Hanabi-chan."

'Naruto called you that earlier and you didn't say anything.' The chubby teen noted flatly, but wisely decided against voicing his opinion on the matter in favor of pressing on "So…what's your familly like?"

"Isn't that kinda rude to ask someone you've just met?" Hanabi pointed out, the youngest Hyuuga not caring if she came off as cold and insulting, as she clearly didn't like the fact she was being babysitted.

"I suppose that's true." Chouji agreed, too good natured to let the barbs of a child get under his skin, stepping away from the literary works to face the girl with a smile "I suppose I should go first huh?"

"If you want." Hanabi quipped, shrugging offhandedly as she resumed her tapping of the desk, her breath rising and falling in pace, though she made no audible noise. If Anyone paid attention, they'd notice that her inhalations lasted almost two minutes.

"Well, my familly ain't as well known as yours obviously." Chouji admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he sat down in a comfy armchair across from the girl "But you ask anyone in East Konoha who's got the best goods and snacks, they'll tell you Akimichi Groceries all the time."

He grinned at her dubious expression, before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a packet of chips, popping it open and offering her it "Go on, try one!"

Hanabi blinked, honestly wondering where on earth the big guy had been storing the oversized bag, before shrugging offhandedly and biting down on one of the potatoe snacks, her eyes widing as the taste washed over her "Sugoi-!"

"I got other flavors too!" Chouji admitted, pulling out several others for emphasis as Hanabi looked on in awe "And I got sweets too! Dango, choco-giri, candy bars…" he chuckled nervously "Damn, s'like I packed for a picnic…huh?"

The stout teen blinked as Hanabi gazed at the assembled snacks, her eyes wide with awe as she looked between them as if they were the promised land, uncertain as to whether she should reach out and touch them or not. "S'matter, never tried any of these before?" He asked, only to blink as Hanabi gave a small shake of her head "Well that wont do…" he unwrapped a chocolate onigiri "Here, try this first!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ino awoke with a groan, flinching as the back of her head spiked in protest at the sudden movement, tentatively reaching back to check for injuries as she tried to recall what had happened.

'I was fighting…someone…' she muttered to herself, flinching as she recalled two boys, one fat and one thin, 'They were Stand users too…Orochimaru-sensei told us they came here to hurt Sasuke-kun…'

Her eyes widened as she sat up straight, only for pain to lance through her body, sending her crashing onto the floor with a pained gasp, clutching her head tightly between her hands.

"Hey, you okay?" a concerned voice asked, the blonde looking up into a face that was, to her addled mind, unusuallly familiar. Which was strange because she didn't recall knowing anyone so porky at the academy "You took quite a spill…lemme help you up."

She did so, whimpering slightly as the large teen picked her up as if she weighed nothing, depositing her back on the nice, soft leather of the sofa she realised she'd been resting on with a gentility that belied his size.

"You just rest there a bit." He insisted, smiling down at her with a face that, had she not already fixed Sasuke-kun in her sights, would've looked cute, in a Pittsbury Dough-Boy kind of way "We're not gonna hurt you."

"Who?" Ino wondered, only to blink as she recalled exactly where she'd seen the teen before, her face paling as she recalled how he'd brought the floor out beneath them, only her playing possum giving her a chance to end the fight on her terms.

'Not that it did any good against that shadow bastard.' She noted with a shiver, recalling how the pony-tailed youth had played her like a 5-yen kazoo, 'And now they've taken me hostage…' he face contorted in horror as scenes that were best described as R-rated flashed through her mind 'who knows WHAT they're going to do to me?!'

"Wanna chip?" her captor offered, startling her out of her panicked thoughts by holding out a bag of, ridged, salted chips she recalled from her childhood "Your from East Konoha originally right? So you gotta know about these right?"

"How did you-?!" Ino began, eyes widening at the revelation, her hand snapping to her mouth, as if to call the words back, only to look away with a grimace "I mean, I'm not from that hellhole!"

"No need to pretend anymore." The big guy assured her, sitting on the edge of the sofa and munching away at his own packet "Tenten-san and the dean told us you transferred here from Eastside…" he grunted as he swallowed the last chip, popping another packet open in the process "musta been hell trying to adapt to these uptown snobs and their P's n' Q's."

Ino flinched at that, looking to the side as the memories of her first day at North Konoha rose, unbidden, from the depths of her memory. It HAD been a struggle at first, what with her not knowing anybody and everyone prying into your past like it was some sort of televised drama. Hell, during her first semester, she'd been hazed so much she'd honestly considered hanging herself to get away from it all, unable to stomach the theft and destruction of her books, clothes and other assorted property with no sign of help or compassion from anyone. She'd even had her ponytail burned off once, though it had thankfully grown back without permanent damage.

And then she'd gone to see Orochimaru-sensei, and while the guidance councillor had come off as slightly prying and creepy, he had nonetheless been a shoulder to cry on and a source of comfort from the storm.

But the greatest thing about was that he had introduced her to Uchiha Sasuke, the undisputed Prince of North Konoha Gakuen. From the moment Ino had laid eyes on the boy, she'd instantly forgotten all her own troubles, all her insecurities, as they would only hold her back in her bid to prove herself worthy of his attention.

And prove it she did. Within a week she had regained the confidence and drive she'd possessed as a child, growing up in the Yakuza-laden streets of East Konoha, but now it was coupled with a feminine grace and confidence that only a woman could possess. Her body had developed well when she'd hit puberty and she knew it, and took every opportunity to let others know it too.

And all it had taken was for her to let Orochimaru-sensei shoot her with an arrow, the guidance councillor assuring her that if her love for Sasuke was true, then the Arrow would give her the courage to face her fears head on.

'Wait…what?' she wondered, blinking as the memory of the actual moment she gained her stand returned to her 'When did…I agree to that?' she stammered, her eyes widening as she recalled the man's face as he fired the crossbow, sending the Stand Arrow into her breast with a serpentine leer on his face 'WHY would I agree to that?!'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oi…you okay?" Chouji asked, the burly teen looking over the captive blonde in concern as she began to tremble, one delicate hand gripping her head as her breath hitched in the back of her throat "Your head still hurt?"

"He…he shot me…" Ino stammered, her blue eyes wide with terrified realization, not reacting to the concerned teen's voice "He just smiled and shot me…like it was all some sick game…he SHOT me!"

"She's freaking out." Hanabi noted with a decidedly more calm tone than was appropriate, though the fact she was currently chewing away at a set of dango skewers probably had something to do with it "Better hold her down in case she does something drastic."

"He SHOT me!" Ino repeated, gripping her shoulder in horror as her shivers reached new heights "I just stood there and let him shoot me in the heart! I let him shoot me with a smile on my face!"

"Calm down!" Chouji insisted, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eye "It wasn't your fault! Orochimaru's manipulated lots of people like you! He's been at it for years!"

"What would you know!" Ino snapped, thumping her fists against the chubby teen's chests desperately, trying to break free of his hold "just how the hell would you know what I've been through? He SHOT ME!"

"And Anko-sensei, and countless others before her!" Chouji snapped, earning a look of shock from the blonde as he looked her in the eyes "The freakshow didn't know which people could become stand users, so he experimented with the students." He frowned at the memory of Anko's tale "Anko-sensei…who used to go here as a kid herself, was one of the subjects used…she lived, and became a stand user."

"Like me?" the blonde stammered, looking into the large teen's eyes in disbelief, a hint of wonderment and hope shining in those baby blues "She got shot like me…and she still has a normal, everday life?"

"Well I wouldn't call Anko-sensei NORMAL." Chouji admitted with a chuckle, recalling the gym teacher's…unusual punishments for people tha crossed her, "But she's a respected member of the community back home, and she puts her all into teaching kids."

"So there's another failure out there." A guttural voice noted, Chouji's head snapping up, wrapping his arms around a startled Ino and dragging her and Hanabi to the floor, even as the door of the office burst open, reduced to little more than flying shards of wood "Good to know."

"W-who the hell?" Chouji muttered, looking up with a scowl as a large figure in a North Konoha Gakuen Track Suit, an obviously custom tailored version due to the size, stamped into the room, his feet dressed in geta rather than the traditional school shoes.

"I was worried that after my meal I'd still be hungry." The figure noted with a chuckle, stepping into the room, revealing a large, bigger than Chouji even, teen with a sick smirk on his face, his hair sculpted into a mowhawk in an attempt to disguise his premature baldness "But if there's another failure out there than maybe I can get a decent snack!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ji-Jiroubo?" Ino stammered, looking over the large teen in confusion, still trying to get over the fact she'd just stood there and let herself be used like a pin cushion "What are you…why're you here?"

"Ain't it obvious?" the giant teen muttered, looking down his nose at the girl as he snorted in disdain "I'm here to clean up your mess…Orochimaru-sensei doesn't need you blabbing to the wrong people."

"Orochimaru…Sensei?" Ino stammered, the blonde's eyes widening in sudden realization as she pieced all the pieces together for the first time "You…you mean he used me…and now he wants to kill me!?"

"Nah…" Jiroubo muttered, cleaning out his ear as he walked into the room, blowing it to rid himself of his waxy buildup dismissively "Quite frankly he's forgotten you even exist, but better safe than sorry, right."

"So I was just a pawn?" Ino snorted, her tone bitter and laced with self-contempt as she glared up at the advancing, overwieght senior in outright disdain "Just another disposable piece for him to throw away?"

"And they say blonde's are stupid." Jiroubo scoffed, cracking his neck joints audibly as he advanced, a dangerous smirk on his face "But then again, you were stupid enough to lose and think we'd let you live."

"PARAMORE!" Ino called out, leaping swiftly to her feet and summoning her Stand, bringing the multi-eyed female figure before her like a sentry, all of it's eyes widening as she prepared to use her ability "You're mine!"

"Think so?" Jiroubo scoffed, before throwing something, from the looks of it the doorknob from the recently destroyed door, straight into the air where it smashed into one of the sprinklers embedded in the ceiling. Ino, caught of guard by the sudden, indoor downpour, raised a hand to cover her head out of instinct, only to freeze as she realise that was just what the thug was waiting for, bringing her Stand to bear just as a large, meaty hand flew out of nowhere and grabbed her by the neck.

"You think I didn't read up on your Stand ability before coming here?" Jiroubo hissed, lifting the startled girl off the ground with virtually no effort "Orochimaru-Sensei keeps detailed documents on all our abilities…all I had to do was look through the files to know that if you can't see, your Stand's next to useless."

That was far as the teen got before Hiruzen's couch was hurled at him from across the room, sending him crashing into the wall, dropping a coughing Ino in the process.

"Forget about me fatass?" Chouji called out mockingly, Smash Mouth hovering just behind him, at the ready "I dunno how things are in North Konoha, but where I come from that ain't no way to treat a lady!"

"You little shit!" Jiroubo snarled, hurling the couch off him with surprising strength, looking none the worse for wear despite behind smashed through the wall "Where the hell does a porker like you get off calling ME fat?!"

"I'm not fat! I'm chubby!" Chouji snapped, the portly brunette pointing at the larger teen irately, his face a mask of righteous indignation "And I've every right to call you fat! If I'm extra large you're Family Size!"

"This ain't fat! It's pure muscle!" Jiroubo snapped, the balding giant ripping his shirt open, earning a squal of disgust from Ino as he bared his massive torso for all to see "That's right! Look what I got!!"

"Oh God the HAIR!" Ino shrieked, the traumatised blonde covering her eyes and fighting the urge to choke on her own tongue as she dropped to the fllor "Oh god I can see it in my sleep! And the wrinkles! The wrinkles!"

"Ugh…" Chouji muttered, the portly teen covering his mouth in disgust as his face took on a decidedly greenish tint "That put me right off my appetite…Oh man even I've never gotten that bad…"

"He's got man titties!" Hanabi cackled, the hyuuga pre-teen pointing at the mohawk sporting senior and laughing her ass off, even as Ino's shrieks of terror went up a notch "Big sagging man titties!"

"You die brat!" Jiroubo snarled rushing the girl with his shirt still wide open, only to be tackled out of his path by Chouji, the teen putting hs smaller, but still notably heavy, girth to good use to knock the larger teen off balance.

"Hanabi-chan!" the smaller of the two titans called out, turning to face the startled Hyuuga as he put the enraged Jiroubo in a headlock "You and Yamanaka-san get out of here! Find the others-!"

"Like hell I'm letting you get away!" Jiroubo snarled, standing up, lifiting a surprised Chouji off the ground with his strength and slamming him back into the wall, before barelling towards the girls like a freight train "C'MERE!"

"SMASH MOUTH!"

Jiroubo stumbled, only to yelp as the floor dropped out from under him, dissolving into so much powder and sawdust and leaving him stuck in a good size hole, his girth holding him in place.

"To bad that file doesn't cover the rest of us." Chouji shot back with a smirk, his Stand's hand placed against the floor of the office, having absorbed as much of the minerals out of it as he dared without bringing the house down "Otherwise You'd know better than to turn your back on me."

Jiroubo snarled and lashed out with his fist, only to yelp as he sank lower into the sinkhole, his body tilting slightly as struggled to pull himself up. "You bitch!" the balding teen roared, glaring at Chouji over his shoulder, "When I get outta here-!"

"Going down!" Chouji shot back with the air of an elevator attendant, Smash Mouth Slapping it's hand into the floor, sending a shockwave through it that widened the hole, sending the screaming senior crashing through to the floor below.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'That was a close one…' Chouji muttered, slumping against the wall as he held his aching ribs tenderly 'That big bruiser wasn't too bright…but he packed one hell of a wallop…in my condition a fight probably wouldn't have been the best idea…'

Staggering to his feet, the Akimichi scion winced as his ribs screamed at the sudden movement, almost bringing him back to his knees from the pain alone. 'Definitely busted…' he muttered, eyeing the dent he'd made in the wall when Jiroubo, or whatever his name was, had thrown him into it 'Damn…whatever that guy's been eating…don't think I want any of it-!'

His thoughts on the matter were cut off as a large, beefy hand punched through the floor and grabbed him by the ankle, Chouji's yell of alarm tearing through the damaged office even as he was pulled down through the floorboards to come face to face with an unpleasantly familiar face.

"Miss me fat ass?" Jiroubo snarled, glaring at the stunned brunette as he held him off the ground by his ankle, the older teen's fingers digging deep into the wall, several other holes making it clear how he'd climbed his way back up "Round two!"

Chouji yelled as the larger teen let go, the two of them falling from the ceiling, punching and kicking in a bid to put each other on top, even as they punched through several floors, startling the beejeebus out of several passers by. Jiroubou, after taking the brunt of the assault, managed to get Chouji under him, the smaller teen's eyes widening as he caught sight of the unforgiving floor coming up FAST.

"SMASH MOUTH!"

The stand lashed out, punching at the ground and sending a hail of debris up at them. The force of the blow slowed their descent, Jiroubou actually cursing as bits of sharapnel hit him in the face, releasing Chouji as they crashed into the ground, the younger teen's skin looking strangely grey and shiny.

'Damn…marble mustn't be as durable as carbon.' The younger teen muttered, grimacing as his body slowly changed back, wincing as his bones and muscles screamed their displeasure at the rough treatment 'Still he's gotta be feeling that a LOT more than-!'

"Pretty resilient for a brat." Game a guttural growl, Chouji's eyes snapping round to gape at the source, which was picking itself up with terrifying slowness "Underestimated you…WON'T be happening again."

Jiroubou's skin had turned a dark, rusty red, his muscles bulging as they writhed under his skin like vipers, rearranging themselves and growing larger at the same time. His hair was lengthening to, changing from a mohawk to a mane that was slowly easing down his back.

"That your Stand a few seconds ago?" the larger teen growled, snorting wryly at Chouji's stunned silence "Pretty tough looking, but it doesn't hold a candle to mine…" he smirked as the changes came to a halt "Course…using it makes me peckish, so I hope ya don't mind if I end this QUICK!"

That was all the warning Chouji got before a fist like a sledgehammer rammed into his face, sending the teen crashing across the corridor, through a wall, and into a room that shone with pristine metal and plastic.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"The Kitchen huh?" Jiroubou noted, the transformed teen smirking as he walked through the hole, his fingers gouging out a chunk of the wall as he passed "Convenient…I could use a pick me up…" he sneered at the twitching, coughing form of Chouji "Bad for you though."

Smirking at the prone form before him, the giant teen walked over to one of the massive fridges and ripped the door off it with one hand, sending it across the room with a casual toss as he started forgaging inside.

"My Stand's a little different than most." He admitted, stuffing several sandwhiches into his mouth at once without bothering to chew "The more I eat, the stronger I get…" he took a bite out of a leg of lamb, only partially thawed "Doesn't matter if it's cooked or not, I can eat it no matter what it is."

The teen's muscles bulged, growing larger with every bite consumed, like air pumping into a tyre. Not only that, but his bones cracked as they enlarged, his pants tearing slightly as his feet burst out of their sandals.

"Normally I can't get enough in the tank, cause my Stand just bruns everything up." The teen muttered, chewing away at a piece of bone like it was candy "But thanks to you, I can go all out…" he smirked at the downed teen "Y'know…I've heard that human flesh tastes a lot like pork…I've always wondered if that was true…"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'This guy's insane…' Chouji panicked, lying there, trying to get his head together, fighting off the nausea from the blow whilst trying to move his limbs. They weren't responding though, or at least one wasn't. He couldn't feel anything from either of them, but his left arm still moved, albeit stiffly.

'Legs are like jelly…' he noted, his eyes fading in and out of focus as he tried to move them, grunting under the sheer effort it took to get a reaction 'Can't run away like this…gotta think of something…'

What could he do? The sounds of the enemy eating had died away, meaning that he'd either finished off what was in the fridge, or was coming over to sample the 'long pork' he'd been talking about. Either way, it wasn't looking good for Chouji, who was coming to the very clear realization that he was about to die.

'Theres nothing for me to use here…' he noted, looking around the shiny kitchen in a daze 'Everything here's aluminium…he'll tear through that in seconds…the floors made of some sort of plastic I think, but he can crush concrete with his fingers…hows that going to help…'

"It amazing really…" Jiroubou's voice called out, his heavy footfalls drawing ever closer as he advanced on his prey, talking around a mouthful of meat "Most people don't even know how much energy their bodies got locked up inside…if it weren't for Orochimaru-sensei, I'd have probably remained a worthless fatass like you the rest of my life."

Chouji wanted to smack the freak for calling him fat, but he couldn't muster the strength to do little more than lie there, drawing pained breaths into his chest, mind blurring as he tried to think of a way to escape the behemoth.

'Wait…energy?' he wondered, recalling the insane giant's words as if in a daze, his beleagured mind replaying the mostly one-sided conversation as if on fast forward, even as his eyes widened in understanding 'That's it-!'

"No point in letting you think up an escape." Jiroubou muttered, standing over the downed teen with a smirk, now standing well over ten feet in height and bulging from head to foot with muscular sinew "Just hold still…" he muttered, drawing one oversized fist back "AND DIE!"

He punched downwards, a fist the size of a small engine rushing towards Chouji's face, even as the crippled teen clapped both hands over his own stomach.

BOOM!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh Noes! CHOUJI!

Yeah, the group's split up so that they'll be facing down Orochimaru's 'Knights' individually, or in pairs.

No spoilers as to who's facing who though, sorry.

I'll Give you Jiroubou's Stand next chapter, so hang in till then, K?

R&R to save Chouji!

* * *


End file.
